The making of Sookie Stackhouse
by DillyRox
Summary: Sookie gets attacked and when Eric finds her she's lethally wounded. What happens after Eric turns her?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Eric POV:

I awake just before sunset and for a fragment of a second I wonder why the hell I'm not in the comforts of my own bed. But then, as I feel someone stirring next to me, I remember. I turn my head to see the one person I never hoped to see when waking up under ground: Sookie Stackhouse. Her eyes are big and she's in panic, and doesn't quite seem to realize what's going on, just yet.

"Eric, why am I here, why did you take me underground and how did I survive that? And what's that burning….", she goes quiet as the conclusion sinks in. "No, no, no, this can't be… YOU TURNED ME?"

With a few fierce strokes of her arms she digs her way out of our resting place, furiously muttering a whole vocabulary of profanities at me.

I follow her out and grab her arms. "Sook, listen to me, LISTEN", I beg her. "If you just… give me a few minutes, I will explain. First, let me ask you, what's the last thing you remember?"

When she tells me it's that she was driving home from visiting Jason, but somewhere on the way, her memories just stop, I fill her in on what her final hours as a human, had been like.

"Your car was found on the side of the road. No signs of an accident, but also no sign of you. Andy Bellefleur was called, and he of course informed Jason right away. From a few traces in your car, they concluded that you had to have been overpowered and taken away, but since there were no other leads, they didn't quite know where to go or what to do. It's a good thing Jason isn't as dumb as he sometimes looks because he recalled that you had my blood in you, and that I should be able to find you wherever you were, so they called me at Fangtasia."

I cringed a little before continuing my recount of the events. "When I found you, you had been knocked out, gagged and tied to a pole. I think you were badly abused and battered; you were bruised, and had cuts all over your face and body. It looked like, whoever did that to you, was planning for more abuse before silencing you forever. I freed you, and tried bringing you to safety so I could heal you there, but while carrying you to my car, your heart stopped. I managed to get it going for long enough to get you to drink some of my blood, but just as your superficial wounds were healing up, your heart stopped again. Sook, I had no choice, I had to try and keep you with us. I even asked Jason what he wanted me to do, and he agreed. If you really do not want this life for yourself, I will help you until you're ready for your true death."

Bloody tears were pouring down her precious face, as she took a deep breath. "You know bloody damn well I never wanted to be turned. But now it happened, and I do not want to meet my true death until I find who did this to me, and make them pay for what they did to me. And oh my lord, I'm thirsty. Where are we, and how close are we to a bottle of True Blood?" "Sookie, you won't sustain on True Blood, not just yet. I'm afraid you really have to feed. How about I take you to Shreveport, and we find you a donor?"

Sookie POV:

Holy shit.. I'M A VAMPIRE. As if being part human, part fae wasn't freak enough! Part of me wants to just stay right where I am until sunrise, and then melt away into oblivion. But a bigger, more vocal part tells me I have to get revenge for my death. I can't be mad at Eric, I think he wanted me to at least have the choice. It's true I never considered the possibility that my life would really come to an end this early, by the hands of someone that wasn't a vampire. Who was it… could it have been another kind of supe? A were, or a shifter, or god forbid, even a fae? I'll have to ask Eric about that later. For now I got to focus and try to not murder the first human that feeds me.

Eric had driven me to the Blood by Night place. "You're going to have a preference for a certain blood type. This place is perfect for finding out which it is." A little uncomfortably, I follow my instinct and walk up to a brunette lady, who had a sign pinned to her coat indicating her blood type was O negative. She tilted her head a little to give me access, but I panicked and at vampire speed ran back to Eric. "What do I do, how do I know where to bite and how the fuck do I get my fangs to work?"

He chuckled a little and led me back to the donor. "Don't think about it too much, you have the instinct for it now, and once you make the move, your fangs will come out by themselves."

The donor smiles at me very sweetly "Don't worry ma'am, you're going to be ok." Grabbing my hand, she pulls me into her and cradles my head as she holds me in a tender embrace. "Go on, tuck in".

My left hand latches on to Eric's hand as I hold my donor's head with the other hand while I bow into her neck. I'll be damned… once I get close enough, I smell a sweet, alluring scent that makes my fangs come out, and as if I've never done otherwise, I pierce her skin with them and tap right into her vein. Oh. Ohhhhh! The burning in my throat settles a bit and I feel myself calm down. I'm very aware of the fact that if I give into this bliss, I risk draining this lovely girl. As one more mouthful of this fragrant, sweet, warm blood slides down my throat, I tune out from the world and focus on the sensational rush building in my body. My limbs are tingling, my hooha is throbbing, and I feel more alive than I have in a long time. In the distance I hear Eric, telling me to stop feeding and I slowly regain my senses. It takes a lot of self-control but I manage to pull myself off the donor's neck. Having received the same treatment from Eric and Bill in the past, I know what the next step is. I pierce my finger with my own fang, and gently rub my blood over the puncture wounds I made. As they begin to close, I give the donor a gentle peck on the cheek and thank her for being an amazing first meal.

We both are silent as we walk to the car. I feel so overwhelmed. I look around me, and the lights are brighter than I've ever seen. Looking at the sky, I see every star, but I also see color nuances that I never knew existed. In the distance I hear so many sounds, noises, heartbeats. I hear music coming from all these different buildings, but am able to distinguish each and every song, and can tell what building it's coming from. Then suddenly out of nowhere I hear a woman's voice. "Oh wow, look at that couple, such a handsome tall guy, a real man at last. Why he'd be interested in such a skimpy little skank as that blonde he's with, beats me, but I wouldn't mind if she'd be willing to share that with me". I look around and find the woman, a middle-aged busty woman with too much make-up and saggy boobs. Rushing up to her closely, I snarl: "That man is my savior and my maker. If already he were mine to share, it sure as hell wouldn't be with a used up old tart like you, you skank".

The woman's jaw drops, she goes pale and stutters. "I, I, I…. I didn't say that out loud! Did I?"

Before I can say anything else, Eric pulls me back and gives me a look that tells me he's almost as freaked out as I am, but in his eyes shines also something else. Utter amazement.

"Sookie Stackhouse, did you just read that woman's thoughts?"

**A/N: So, don't hate me for turning Sookie, but I think she would actually make a friggin amazing vampire so I'm going to give this a go! I'm undecided whether all the TB characters will make an appearance, some of them annoyed the hell out of me in the series, but I guess one can never say never, right? **

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed, stay tuned for more soon. Gotta use the inspiration while it's flowing :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's warning: Very much an M chapter, very smutty ending, and some explicit language.**

**Oh and for formality: Charlaine Harris was the true genius to think of Sookie and Eric, and HBO may have made the TV series, but I'm just borrowing their intellectual property for my amusement, there's no intentions to benefit from this, apart from the joy the writing brings. I'm just taking the characters on a little adventure!**

Chapter 2

Eric's POV:

I thought it may just have been an impulse control issue, when Sookie charged at that woman, but when I heard her talk, I knew instantly I was witnessing something I had never seen before in my more than thousand year lifespan. But I've known Sookie for long enough to not lie this on too thick.

"Sookie Stackhouse, did you just read that woman's thoughts?"

Sookie contemplated for a while. "I'm not sure, I mean, I guess so, but I'm not supposed to, am I?" She gasped and turned around to face the woman. "I'm so, so sorry ma'am, it seems I overreacted to something, please forgive me." As the woman cautiously nodded, Sookie turned around and tugged my arm. "Come on, let's get out of here, we got some figurin' out to do."

As we get in the car, I can tell she's wondering about something, so I look at her and raise an eyebrow. "I wonder if this was just a final twitch of my old human ways. I mean, yesterday I was a part human, part fae telepath, and today all of that would suddenly be gone? My blood, and my special perks have been through so much and never faded, but I really can't believe that any of it would survive me turning into a vampire. Have you ever witnessed something similar, Eric?"

"I don't think so, lover, not to this extent at least. There once was a vampire queen with psychic abilities, but she was wrong about as often as she was right and to this day I wonder whether what she called psychic abilities were in fact just simply rumors she'd heard, laced with figments of her own imagination. And of course there's been Warlow, but as you know, he was a full fairy before being turned, and he was actually turned by Lillith, who may have had a few extra skills when it comes to making vamps. I guess it's possible that your telepathy is still intact," I sigh, "but I think we'll find out very soon whether it's really the case, and if so, is it all exactly the same or did your powers get modified?"

We sit in silence for a few minutes, both trying to take in what happened. Then I jolt up and in a sudden movement I park the car. I rush to her side of the car and drag her out with what might be a smidge too much enthusiasm. "Sookie, we're going to try out one of the cooler things about being a vampire now." I take her hands as she gives me a questioning look. "Close your eyes, and try to be as calm as you possibly can. Now focus all your attention on your trying to push your feet off the ground." In a first attempt, Sookie manages to levitate just a few inches above the ground for what seem to be the longest 10 seconds in my existence. As she drops back down she opens her eyes in shock and squeals "Eric, did I… did I just hang in the air?" All I can do in response is grin at her. "Try again!" Once again, she relaxes her entire body and focuses. This time, it's already a lot better, higher and she lasts longer.

Sookie POV:

It's like I'm getting a crash course in being a vampire. 24 hours ago, I didn't even want to be one, but here I am, learning to levitate! I repeat what I just did, and this time, I lift off a lot easier than the first time. I guess it's true that vampires are fast learners then. I hover a few inches off the ground and then manage to gain some more altitude. Eric looks at me, completely stunned. "What?" I laugh at him. "You made me, and I know when you do something, you do it right, so I guess I came out of the ground with a bit of a natural head start on other newborns."

"I suppose so" he chuckles, and he lifts off to join me in the air. When he gets to me, he grabs me and pulls me into a tight embrace. Just in time too, I was about to come tumbling down. Eric holds my chin up with his index finger, and leans into me. "Sookie Stackhouse, you were a miracle in your human life, and you never ceased to amaze me. Now you're one of us, and better yet, you are my progeny, and you're an exceptionally gifted newborn. You make your master very very proud." His lips brush my nose, his nose brushes my cheeks, and when I place my hands around his neck, Eric grabs me by the hips, curling my legs around his waist, and he kisses me like he's never kissed me before. Or well, he probably has but my human limitations didn't let me experience it the way I am now. I feel a breeze around us, as he playfully nibbles on my lips, stroking them with his tongue, then as my lips part, our tongues join together. Pulling myself tighter to him, I softly moan and instinctively push my hips closer to him too. Not releasing the kiss, I can still tell he's smirking, and at the same time I feel his bulge getting bigger. Then he whispers "Hold on tight, lover", and he maneuvers us both higher up in the air, flying over the trees for a few minutes, and as we get back to the ground he tells me to open my eyes. Looking around me I gasp. "Eric, this is the same place we first… had sex. I thought it was magical then but wow, now I really see. It's stunning!"

"Lover, I figured I'd bring you back here. It was the first time you and I made love in your human life, and unless I misread your body language, it seems your feelings towards me haven't changed for the worst after I changed you. Wouldn't it be fitting to have our first time after your rebirth in the same location?"

Now, let me tell you. Remember how I said my hooha was throbbing while I was feeding? That was nothing compared to what's happening with my body now. I look up at my Viking and trying to laugh some of the tension away I ask him: "But isn't it kind of weird? You're like, my daddy now!" He laughs and tells me I'm perfectly aware of maker-progeny relations, and then comes closer to me and slowly starts to unbutton my shirt, and once that's off, my bra follows. "Tonight is all about you, lover, allow me to let you feel things you haven't experienced in your human life."

Oh gosh.. looks like I'm in for a ride.

Eric's POV:

As I undress this delectable woman, all I want is to expose her to all the good things there are to being a vampire. Some of the biggest perks are that we have an increased sex drive, we are not bothered by silly inhibitions, and we experience sexual stimulation much more intensely than humans do. I kiss my way down Sookie's body, and as I get closer to her crotch, I'm surprised to find that she still seems to have some fairy qualities to her essence. Pulling down her shorts and panties, it's satisfying to notice that Sookie is not uncomfortable being exposed like this at all. She's enjoying every second of this as much as I am. My hands stroke her legs from her calves to her buttocks, and I kiss her thighs, slowly moving closer to her vulva. Sookie instinctively spreads her legs just a little as my kisses move from her thigh to just below her belly button, and down from there. Another moan escapes her, and her scent grows stronger. This encourages me to place my hand on her hips, and gently glide my tongue across the outsides of her vagina. It seems this was exactly what she needed, because as my tongue caresses her, her hands grab my hair and she pushes herself on to my face. Using my left hand, I spread her lips apart, and poke my tongue inside her. My god she's so ready for me, and she tastes to incredibly sweet. I then slide my tongue to her nub, which by now is in a complete state of arousal, and give it a few flicks before sucking it into a little vacuum in my mouth.

I slide 2 fingers inside her and use my thumb to rub her clitoris some more. Then I get on my feet, and position myself in front of her entrance. My tip resting there, I gently guide her to sit up straight, and then I slide my hands under her butt and lift her up, holding her over my cock. She wraps her arms around me and as she glides down onto me, I decide I'm going need some help to keep steady. At vampire speed I rush us to a big tree, and pushing her back against that tree, I slam into her harder than I've ever done. Her body tells me she enjoys this, which encourages me to keep going. I feel her tension building and she grunts at me "Eric I want you to bite me". I'm not one to deny a pretty lady her wish, so as I continue to fuck her with firm, deep thrusts, I sink my fangs into her left tit. This brings her completely over the edge, and before I can finish whispering "It's ok if you want to bite me too", her fangs are buried in my neck, and together we reach our climax.

We both sink down to the soft mossy ground, where I hold her for a while as we kiss and cuddle. "So how are you enjoying your first experiences as a vampire, Miss Stackhouse?"

A/N: Have to cut it off here or the chapter would be much too long. A little reassurance: I do not intend to make this story a huge smutfest. But at the same time True Blood has been a 7 season long smutfest, and vampires being the sexual beings they are, I cannot ignore it altogether. I have no idea whether I got it right, can only hope it's not too awkward, or rushed, or just lame, or maybe just right


	3. Chapter 3

Oh wow guys.. over 400 individuals have viewed this story since yesterday, and hooray for followers and favorites! Quite the encouragement!

**Chapter 3**

**Sookie's POV:**

We leave the woods and get back on the road, on to Bontemps. I can't help but feel a little awkard about this. Will I see my friends, and will I want to attack and eat them? Gosh that would be embarrassing!

"Eric, would you mind going to my house? After sleeping underground and then our lovely intermezzo in the woods just now, I could really do with a shower and a change of clothes". He doesn't speak, but smiles at me and nods. The whole way there, we sit in comfortable silence, listening to some violin concerto Eric's playing on his radio.

As we approach the house, some thoughts sink in. "I guess we'll have some things to discuss, right? I mean, I owned that house, but now I'm technically dead, so has that changed? And would it even be smart to keep living there? And my job.. I can't work dayshifts no more, and I'm not so sure Sam would love if I suddenly felt like feeding on a customer."

"Let's have that shower first, child, we can discuss details later. Remember, you've only been a vampire for 5 hours, and you have the rest of eternity to figure those things out."

**Eric POV:**

"Go on, dear, and take your time with that shower. I have some phone calls to make."

For the first time tonight I switch my phone on and am bombarded with voicemails and text messages. For the most part, they are from my first progeny, so she's the first one I call.

"This better be good, Eric, because I'm super pissed at you for turning off your phone. Where the fuck are you?" "Pam, I'll tell you everything later, but for now, let me congratulate you." "Congratulate me on what, you asshole?" "You're a big sister now."

Pam remains silent for a good minute, but in the background I hear glass breaking and a door getting slammed shut. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO, ERIC NORTHMAN? DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE TIME TO RAISE A BABYVAMP IN ALL THIS MADNESS? "As she rambles on about me being an irresponsible piece of shit, I let her rage. A normal relationship between maker and progeny would not typically mean the progeny gets to talk to their maker this way but Pam has a strong will and I've always enjoyed her lack of respect for etiquette. She's proven to be very well aware of when to behave, and at the right times, I don't even have to coach her into behaving properly. I decide to not tell her that Sookie is the newborn, but do fill her in on last night's events. "Pam, you will meet your new sister soon, probably tomorrow. Tonight I am going to spend with her, and help her get familiar with the basics. I take it you'll be ok dealing with Fangtasia by yourself for one night?" After discussing some minor business details with her, I end the call. I listen in on what's going on upstairs, it seems Sookie is still in that shower, and our bond tells me she's relaxing and enjoying it.

"Hi, you've reached the voicemail of Jason Stackhouse. Leave a message at the beep."

"Jason, it's Eric Northman. I'm just calling to let you know that, after our conversation last night, I managed to get Sookie ready to make her transition just in time. She woke up with me this evening and is in good shape. I'm showing her around her new vampire life tonight, but seen as she seems to be in control of her temper pretty well, I don't see any reason the two of you to not be in touch with each other. I promise to keep you updated. And Jason, thank you for allowing me to do that, last night. I truly believe Sookie understands, and is capable of dealing with her new life."

Next up, and I hope that Sookie will understand once she finds out I made this call, I dial Sam Merlotte's number. To my surprise he's not too busy to answer. "Sam, this is Eric Northman. I'm going to tell you something that will probably upset you, but I'm going to need your help". When he agrees to let me finish talking, I continue. "Last night, someone informed the Bontemps police that a car was found by the side of the road, and that whoever the owner was, had left the engine running but was nowhere to be found. When sheriff Bellefleur got there, he immediately identified the car as being Sookie's. He called her brother and together they came to the conclusion that Sookie had to have been overwhelmed by someone, and taken away."

I hear Sam gasp for air. "Do they know where she is? Do you think she's alright? And how did you get involved?" "Fortunately, Jason is a bit more aware of the bond Sookie and I have, and he knew that Sookie probably had my blood in her, which would allow me to find her. She wasn't very far away so I got there quite quickly, but what I saw when I finally got to her, shocked me deeply. Some bastard had tied her arms together to a pole, and he had been having his way with her. She was unconscious, and badly hurt. There was no sign of the asshole anywhere close, but I didn't want to risk him walking back in while I was healing Sookie, so I quickly untied her, and picked her up to walk to my car." "So she's with you? Did you give her your blood and is she healing ok?" "Sam, here's where I get to the hard part. Unfortunately, while walking to my car, Sookie's heart stopped, and she stopped breathing. I did manage to get it going again, but only for long enough to feed her just a little bit of my blood. Her heart just kept crashing, so I decided to call Jason and discuss the options with him. Together we came to the conclusion that for now, we should at least try and make it so that Sookie could decide on her own fate." "You mean… are you telling me that.. that Sookie got turned, Northman?" Suppressing my own elation about this little fact, I reply "Yes, I'm afraid that that is what I'm telling you. It was a risk, she really hadn't had enough of my blood to safely transition, but I think my old blood is powerful enough to make up for the difference in quantity. And Sam, she's probably one of the most natural newborns I've seen in my lifetime. She was of course upset, but I think she is secretly a bit happy to still be around, and she also wants to avenge her own death. And that is why I'm really calling you, Sam. I need your help. Or rather… Sookie does. We have to find whoever did this to her, and get rid of the son of a bitch."

"Of course! Of course I'm going to I help. What can I do, Eric?"

I talk him through the locations of her car, and where I found her, and ask him to go there by day and pick up any trace he could find. The risk of the asshole being there would be a lot smaller than in the night time. A shifter's nose would be as good, if not better than my own scent to pick up on the scent, so that was a big plus too.

We agree to be in touch the following day so he can report back to me. "Oh and Eric? Would you agree that it's probably smarter for me to cancel Sook's shifts for the coming weeks?

I can't suppress a smile.

"Yes Sam, that would be correct. She's my family now, so she doesn't even have to work anymore, but let's give her a while to come into her new form, and in a few weeks, we'll let her decide for herself what she wants to do about her job."

Sookie POV:

As the hot water rinses every last bit of mud, moss and other dirt off my body, I lean back against the wall of my shower and close my eyes. In my mind, I go over the last 6 hours. It feels like so much longer. I'm amazed at myself for being so accepting of my new situation. But really, if it stays like this, there's not all that much that has changed, is there? I just don't sleep at night anymore, but will be forced to sleep during the day. It's not really sleeping, I'll just be dead, but who cares about the technicalities? The bigger question is, do I even want this life for myself? For now, being a vampire is not as bad as I had imagined it to be. I know I'm dead, but ever since I fed, I feel SO alive. I feel powerful and in control. I'm sort of curious about my telepathy and hope that Eric will allow me to go close to people again soon so I can test it out. One thing I'm not so sure I'm crazy about is Eric being my master. I've always been great at fending for myself, and I don't know whether I'm going to enjoy the fact that he can order me around if he decides to. But so far, he's only been kind, and supportive and helpful to me, so for now, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I'm lost so deep in my own thoughts that I don't notice Eric getting into the shower, until he lays his hands on my hips and kisses my neck. I take the shower gel and help him wash himself. While making sure his entire torso gets thoroughly soaped and rinsed, I feel his erection growing against me. He quickly washes his hair, and then helps me out of the shower where we dry each other off. Just as I wrap my hair in my towel he picks me up and carries me to my bed, where we end up having hot messy sex for at least 2 hours. I'm rediscovering my body as it reacts so differently now, and he's clearly more than willing to help me with that.

Once we're done, he kisses me lightly on my nose and says: "I could stay here till sunrise, but unfortunately, this house isn't light tight, and the small dayroom you have here, is really too small for the both of us. So I have to head back to Shreveport. I also think it would be good if you fed once more before the sun calls you. So how about you come with me and stay over at my house in Shreveport with me?"

"My sweet Eric, I couldn't imagine waking up without you after a day like this, and now that you mentioned it, yes I really would like to feed again. Let me grab some clothes, and then let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry, sorry! I had this chapter ready to upload on Friday, but then went home from work, and realized I hadn't forwarded it to my home email. I do intend to keep updates coming frequently while I feel I can write! Hope you all had a fangtastic weekend, enjoy the read!

**Eric POV:**

Being as old as I am, I tend to wake up a little earlier than younger vampires, so when I wake about an hour before sundown, I'm horrified to see that Sookie is no longer in my bed. Baby vamps usually tend to sleep in! I listen for sounds around the house, and when I clearly hear Sookie singing along to the radio in another room, upstairs, I figure at least she's safe and happy. I do not want to make her feel like I'm watching her every move, or like I'm hovering over her, and decide to take my time getting ready, and thinking over the talk I'm really going to need to have with her today. Being a maker is something I do not take lightly. It comes with responsibilities, and although I'm aware that Sookie might not at all be open to this, I fully intend to live up to my own standards. There's a reason Pam has stuck with me throughout the centuries, even after I released her; I've always allowed her to make her own choices, I've spoilt her rotten, and I've shown her loyalty and respect. I love Pam for her spunk, she's so stubborn and outspoken, but at the same time such a tactical mastermind, I can hardly imagine what I would do without her by my side to run things.

Sookie on the other hand, is a different kind of person. She's caring, but has been through enough in her life to not be naïve. She's optimistic, but not delusional. She's independent, yet not afraid to fall back on people around her when in need. And most important of all: I believe she's not just the love of my life; she's the love of my existence. So while I know that I'm the best maker a vampire could ask for, I have to be aware that she may resist certain things, like my generosity, as well intended as it may be. Yesterday was a great start to her vampire existence, but with newborns you never know what the new day is going to bring.

What I see when I get into my study gives me an instant raging hard on. She's sitting on the edge of my desk, scanning through some magazines, wearing only a burgundy satin negligée and when she notices me her face breaks out into something that makes me feel just as good as I imagine sunshine would make me feel. "I figured you'd be sleeping in, lover. After all, today is just the first day of the rest of eternity for you" She chuckles lightly. "I guess when you're a morning person in life, some of that sticks when you turn, too. I've been up for over 2 hours already! I'm glad you're up now too though babe, I had some time to think, and we should talk." "Ok, we'll talk, but not while you're still in that negligée, lover. It takes away my ability to think straight."

**Sookie POV:**

My negligée takes away his ability to think straight? Hah! I slide the straps off my shoulder as I get on my feet and the negligée drops to the floor and I look at him with what's probably the boldest look I've ever managed to give. "Better, Mister Northman?" "Now Miss Stackhouse, that wasn't quite what I had in mind for our conversation to be productive, but this will do for a warm-up activity." He pushes me back onto the desk and kisses me passionately, as we both work on getting him out of his clothes. In my rush to feel his skin on mine, I actually manage to shred his shirt into pieces. I've been wanting him since the minute I woke up so my body is ridiculously ready for him. Fortunately, he's clever and instinctive, and picks up on all the right signals.

About an hour later, my hands still latching on to either side of the desk, I come to my senses again. I cannot believe how mindboggling sex is now, but do understand a lot better why and how some vampires just get lost in a haze of sexuality, the first years of their new life.

"I really did mean to talk to you about some things", I tell him. "As you know, I never ever expected to become a vampire, but now I am one anyways. With the possibility of there still being some traces of faerie in me, I would like to ask you to keep quiet about that. At least until we know for certain what it is, but maybe even after that, if these… effects… turn out to be permanent. The reason for that is that I've been considered a bit of a freak all my human life. The telepathy thing freaked the humans out. I wasn't fae enough to be fully accepted by them until I was an adult, and now I'm a whole new level of freak to all of them. The one thing I don't want is for my new community to also think I'm a freak for having special powers."

He nods, but before he gets to speak I beg him to let me finish my carefully proposed speech.

"Another thing I wanted to discuss is that I have to make sure people back home know where I am and what's going on, but at the same time I'm hesitant, and maybe I should, just for now at least, only let Jason and Sam know that I won't be around for a bit. I'm sure I want to be able to go around Bontemps, but I don't want to put the people I love at risk. Not when the risk is actually getting eaten by good ol' Sookie."

The look on Eric's face tells me that he'll be telling me he supports me in that. Now for the hardest part of my speech; I sit up a little straighter (gosh I wish I could take an actual deep breath, now!) and take his hand.

"The last thing I want to discuss is our relationship. You know you've always been pretty damn special to me, and I love you. I loved you in life, and those feelings only seem to have become stronger since my change. I can imagine myself with you even 200 years from now, but I can only do that if we're equals in the relationship. You know, from soul to soul. I realize you are my maker now, and I do also feel the bond we have because of that. It feels safe when I'm with you, on a different level than it did before all this. And I know you're considered to be this awesome maker guy, but I really think that if I decide to stay with you and actually be a vampire, it can only be as your love, and not as your progeny. I want you to consider releasing me."

After this, even though I'm very certain of that being what I want, I somewhat nervously look around, afraid to see him in the eyes. He does seem calm, but I know Eric well enough to tell that he's hiding his true feelings behind a mask now. He just entered negotiation mode. In a surprisingly calm and gentle voice he asks me to sit tight, as he goes and warms himself some True Blood. He leaves the room at a slow pace, and takes his time getting back to me. When he does, he sits down next to me, not opposite, and takes my hand.

"Dearest Sookie. Of course, your secrets are safe with me. I want you to remember, always, that you can, and should trust me with, and about anything. I don't know whether you are still a telepath, but I do know that waking up as early as you did isn't normal either, and I suspect that these aren't temporary reminders of what you used to be. We will have to see how those things develop, but I agree with your stance: the vampire community should not be aware of any of that. As far as they'll be concerned, you're just one of us from now on. "

"As for Bontemps and your affairs there, there's something I probably should have told you yesterday but we got distracted in the shower", he takes me in his arms as he says this and kisses my hair. "Seen as Jason approved of me trying to turn you beforehand, I've had to inform him last night that you had been successfully turned. I've left him a message, explaining that you're really ok and that once you're comfortable enough, there's no reason you and him shouldn't be seeing each other.

I also called Sam, by the way. First and foremost to ask for his help, tracking down your attacker, but also because I know how much you care for your job, and I didn't want to leave him in the dark about your whereabouts. He promised discretion, and agreed with me that it would probably be better to replace you for your shifts for at least a few weeks, and to see from there. "

I can feel that he's carefully considering what to say next.

"As for your request to be released… I guess it doesn't shock me as much as it would from anyone else. But I know you, and I know that your motives for the request are pure and genuine. So contrary to the fears you clearly had after asking me for that, no, Sookie, I'm not angry. I'm not going to agree to it now, however. There are a few reasons, very valid reasons, to keep our bond open at least for a while longer. What I would like to propose to you, is that you give me 6 months. During these 6 months, you'll be staying in my care, and you will let me be your maker, guide, coach and sidekick. Most importantly, I want our bond to be this strong while we deal with the bastard that took you. But I also want the occasion to really show you what it's like to be a vampire, my lover. Not just while being with me, but I would like you to immerge in our community, to fully experience it. Instead of at Merlotte's you could help out at Fangtasia or whatever it is you prefer. But yes, I beg you; please allow me to give you the opportunity to experience it all. I do not want you to end up hating me later for making you do this, but I don't want to end up hating myself for endangering you by releasing you too soon, out of love, or out of fear of losing you."

For a few minutes, I just sit in complete silence. It makes total sense, Eric's reasoning, but 6 months is a long time. Or it used be a long time, but if I have eternity now… is it really all that long?


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_Previously on The Making of Sookie Stackhouse._

"_What I would like to propose to you, is that you give me 6 months. During these 6 months, you'll be staying in my care, and you will let me be your maker, guide, coach and sidekick._

**Eric**

I'm suppressing a big outburst of rage. A new vampire, requesting for her maker to release her not even 48 hours after the transition, it's preposterous, unacceptable! But I have to remind myself that this isn't just any random baby vamp. This is Sookie. MY Sookie, the only woman I've truly loved. Yes, it's ridiculous for her to ask me on the second day of her existence to be released. It pisses me off beyond belief, and most of all, it makes me scared. Scared she'll get hurt without my protection, scared she'll end up leaving me to go off and do who knows what. I love her enough to never want to force her into doing anything. In theory, I can command her around and not give her even the slightest option to act independently. But that wouldn't be a relationship; that would be slavery. I have enough fools around me willing to do whatever I need to get done. No, this is Sookie, I can't mess this up. I do not want to manipulate her into anything, but I also don't want her to do anything rash. And that's why I gave her that proposal. It's enough time for her to find her place in vampire world, and to really become aware of all the pros and cons. I can only hope she'll see that I'm doing this for her own good.

She was quiet for quite some time after I had finished talking, clearly absorbing my words. Then, without even saying a word about it, she gets up and says, as if nothing happened: "What's on the agenda today? I enjoy your company but I wanna see people, and I want to try and find out a little more about my telepathy." She places her hands on my chest and whispers "Baby I'm going to consider your proposal, but give me a few days, ok?", after which she kisses me 'til my knees go weak.

**Sookie**

As we're getting dressed to go out, Eric scans over my wardrobe and hesitates for a minute but then finally proposes: "How about we go shopping today, Sookie? You didn't bring many clothes, and honesty I don't think we'll be able to get to Bontemps very soon." I contemplate for a second but then quickly tell him "Well, I have gone through a rather massive change, haven't I? And that usually calls for a new wardrobe too, so yes, I would love to go shopping. Just let me check whether my paycheck has come in yet." "No lover, if I offer to take you shopping, it means it's my treat, and you won't have to spend a penny today." It isn't really like me to simply accept gifts, but that was the old me. Besides, this is Eric fucking Northman. He won't be taking me shopping at some random mall, I'm pretty sure he's already got a herd of personal shopping assistants lined up to help us find the most exclusive, high quality clothing there is. And I sure as hell don't want to see the money for that come out of my own account!

As suspected, we are welcomed by 3 shop assistants. I'm clearly not dressed appropriately for this this joint, and the expressions on their faces are a mixture of wonder, awe, disgust, and pity. "This is my progeny, Miss Stackhouse. Her wardrobe is due for an upgrade. Whatever she wants, she can have. Sookie, love, we have about 3 hours before we have to be at our next appointment, so take your time and enjoy. I'll be over there, making some phone calls, but will check in on you every now and then. Do not be modest today, shop your heart out." His hand brushes my cheek as he nods at the assistants and walks off.

"We see you are wearing a rather modest outfit at the moment, ma'am. Is that also what you're looking for today?"

I don't know where it came from but suddenly I went into full control mode. "No, it's not. I am ready for some more grown up outfits, and will need a bunch of things, for different social situations. I would like each of you to put together 3 different outfits for me: 1 casual set, 1 outfit suitable for business affairs, and 1 classy evening outfit. While y'all do that, I'm wondering; do you also have a lingerie section? I would like to use the time you guys need to select some new sets of that."

A fourth assistant comes out and guides me to a more private section of the shop. I cannot believe my eyes, it has the most amazing pieces of lingerie there, and over the next half hour I try on so many bras, panties, corsets and nightgowns my head is spinning.

"Miss Stackhouse, when you're ready, the first assistant has the outfits ready if you'd like to go see and try them on." Looking at the pile of undergarments, I quickly point out 4 of the bras, 1 super sexy corset, a garter belt and about 10 pairs of panties and tell them to already pack them up.

"Oh and could you make sure Eric doesn't see the corset, I want that to be a surprise for him."

I have to admit, those assistants did know exactly what would fit me, what would suit me, and what I would like. All three of them have done outstanding jobs at putting together those outfits. There are suits, skirts, trousers, a few gorgeous evening dresses, a casual, flirty skirt and so many other quality pieces of clothing. While trying on yet another dress, I decide to go give Eric a sneak peek.

**Eric**

Just as I finish a call with one of the suppliers for Fangtasia, I hear Sookie call for me. I look around and my jaw nearly drops to the floor. She's wearing a long yellow satin gown and even though (or maybe it's because of that!) she's not wearing any makeup, and her hair is a little messy, she looks like the sun, personified. She's beaming, clearly feeling as beautiful as she actually looks.

Then, looking at the pile of clothes that's scattered throughout the shop, I can't help but laugh. "My god, Tornado Sookie in the house. It seems you're enjoying yourself, lover. Have you managed to spend all my money yet?"

I know Sookie is aware that I'm well off, but I don't think she realizes how rich I am, exactly. She knows I own some properties in the state of Louisiana, but I haven't even begun to tell her about the hundreds of properties I own across the globe, or about all the business investments I've got going, nor about the collections of art and jewelry I have in my possession. She could buy every single item in this shop and I wouldn't even notice the money missing. What can I say... I'm an entrepreneur and do not like to just sit around and drink blood all night. I'd rather do something productive.

"Oh Eric, I don't know. The assistants have each selected 3 different outfits for me and they're all equally comfortable, elegant and nice, and they make me feel like a whole new woman. It's just too hard to choose!" "Well lover, then don't choose, we'll just have to take it all."

As expected, she tries to object to that, but I won't hear it. I ask the assistants to pack everything up and have it delivered to my house the same evening. The security manager will be there to receive the delivery.

"Actually, I would like to wear one of the outfits the rest of the evening, if that's ok. After trying on all this, my other clothes just feel too frumpy and girly." She disappears into a changing room to change into the outfit of her choice. After 10 minutes, one of the assistants comes running past, carrying what looks like a salon-in-a-box. "Miss Stackhouse will be just a bit longer, she wants to look the part, so we're doing her hair and makeup too", she giggles.

It's fine by me, we actually do have eternity. Although we should really get on the road in max 30 minutes from now but I'm not too concerned about that.

It's well worth the wait though. "Come Mister Northman. Miss Stackhouse is ready for the big reveal." From behind the changing room curtain, Sookie asks "Are you ready, Eric?" "Show yourself, lover!"

Once again, I do not believe my own eyes: She's wearing a very tight, ivory blouse which shows the exact perfect amount of cleavage. If I'm not mistaken, she's even wearing a navy blue bra, to match these amazing navy blue pants that fit tightly but exactly right around her body, emphasizing all the right curves. And to top it all off, on her feet is a pair of stiletto heels, also in the same navy blue color. Her face is made up in a subtle, but sultry way, and her hair is flowing over her shoulders. I'm so aroused by what I see; I can't help my fangs from joining the party.

All I want now is to take this absolute gem and make her mine for the rest of the night. Oh hell, the rest of our existence wouldn't be long enough!

"Ladies," Sookie giggles "can one of you get Mister Northman here a tissue, it seems he's drooling." I shake off my arousal a bit and give a sheepish grin in response. As she spins around one more time to show off the look, she excitedly says: "The best part is, I won't get sore feet anymore so I can finally wear stilettos like these!" "My darling, you look just absolutely stunning, and it will be my honor and pleasure to show you off today."

While Sookie thanks the crew for helping her out so well, I hand the assistant my platinum card and sign the receipt. It's a good thing the establishment doesn't have price tags in the clothes, because Sookie would have an aneurysm knowing she just bought a 17,000 dollar wardrobe in less than 3 hours' time.

**Sookie**

Leaving the shop, I notice there's a Blood by Night close by, so I ask Eric if we have time for me to go feed and he agrees. We walk there, and I proudly notice how people are admiring us as a couple, and the way we look. Eric, as always, was already impeccably dressed when we left the house, and now I'm in my new outfit, we really are a match. These heels I'm wearing have as an extra bonus that I don't look like such a midget compared to him.

After my O neg lunch (it seems that my first attempt was right, it keeps smelling the best to me and I haven't wanted to try any other blood type), we get on the road. Before I got turned, I used to crap my pants whenever I was in Eric's car with him behind the wheel. He's such a maniac on the road. But now, I actually notice how, even though we are traveling fast, I have perfect vision and can anticipate just as easily as before, at normal speed. It's actually quite cool! Even though it's opened only an hour ago, there's already a huge line for the door at Fangtasia. Eric parks the car at his reserved spot and at lightning speed rushes to my side to open the door for me and help me out the car.

We bypass the line and as we enter the club, I'm a little overwhelmed. The music, the lights, all the different fragrances combined is like an overload of information on my newly obtained, or rather recently expanded senses. But that quickly ends as I hear an all too familiar voice behind us.

"If it isn't Eric Northman. How nice of you to finally honor us with your presence, you slacker. Now can you finally get back to normal business instead of showing up with just another one of your fangbanger skanks?" Oh Pam, you grumpy old cow, you don't even recognize me!

Eric is the first to turn around and say: "It's nice to see you too, Pam, I take it you've been perfectly in control over the past two days. I mean, you've only been my right hand woman for the past 100 odd years so I figure you got it down. Oh and by the way, I didn't bring a fangbanger skank, as you so delicately named her." As he says that, I turn around and give her my best "Sup, bitch"-look. Her reaction is nothing short of entertaining. Her face relaxes, her eyes grow big and her fangs pop out. "Hi Pam, I'm glad to see that even you can still be surprised by something."

Eric asks one of the waiters to bring us some bottles of blood and we head to the office, where Pam takes her time to inspect me. "Well fuck me, Sookie Stackhouse, you make one fine vampire. I didn't recognize you because you don't smell like a faerie anymore, but now that all the stinky sweaty humans aren't around anymore, there's a slight trace of it still in your scent. And your clothes.. what the actual fuck, I didn't know you had shit like that in your wardrobe." "Oh no, Eric just took me shopping. All I took with me were some shorts, shirts, summer dresses and flip-flops; I didn't have anything decent to wear." I tell her all about my first days as a vampire and how, so far, I think it's not as bad as I used to think it would be. Of course it's new and like a super adventure, but I really am enjoying myself. It's like I'm an enhanced, empowered improvement of my former self, and I am beginning to think that this might just be a blessing.

"So Eric is there any trace on the asshole that did this to Sookie?" "I'm not sure yet, I tried contacting Sam but he wasn't answering earlier, so I left him a message. And Jason, I know he would have called had he found something, so it seems they didn't make much progress. Don't worry though, we'll find whoever did this and he will pay."

When Pam gets called away for a calamity at the bar, Eric pulls me onto his lap, and soon we're making out like 2 sex-crazed teenagers under the bleachers of a football field. I just don't want to be caught in here with my pants down, so I stop us from going too far. I may be a vampire now, but I still have my own inhibitions. And as I was already suspecting, Pam walks back in after about 10 minutes.

"Eric, I don't want to keep you too long, but I do need to discuss something with you in private, so if I could have maybe 15 minutes of your time, I will be able to deal with stuff until the end of the week and won't give you shit for focusing on Sookie until then."

Eric

Fortunately, Pam had nothing too alarming to discuss, I think secretly she just wanted my full on attention for a little bit and used business talk as a cover for that. I know she's in full control of Fangtasia, and even if shit were to hit the fan, it would have to be a big dump before she wouldn't know how to handle it.

"Alright, I better get back to Sookie then. She seems to be accepting her new life and she seems really cool about it but you know her, she might be just holding it in, and until I know for certain she really isn't a ticking time bomb I would rather have her close by." "Well, master, I have to admit, I was expecting her to be a red hot mess but she surprised me. She might just be the perfect addition to our family." That little hint of sarcasm in her voice as she says that last word makes me laugh.

"You know, she's ballsier now. She actually asked me to release her; she says she doesn't want to be under my control if she's going to stay my lover." Pam clearly was entertained, hearing that. "I'm trying to get her to agree to a compromise: 6 months of being my progeny, and if she still wants it then, and we're still good together, I will release her." "Oh Eric, you know as well as I do that no vampire in their right mind will be able to resist living the Northman lifestyle once they're used to it, you sly old fox. Very smart, I have to give that to you."

Even though I really do have other reasons for wanting to keep Sookie under my watch, I can't say that that thought had not also crossed my mind. "Now Pam, don't you go repeating that to anyone. I mainly want her to agree to the compromise so I can protect her better while we settle the score with whoever got to her that last night of her human existence, so let's keep it at that please. If that was all, I would like to take Sookie out of here."

Meanwhile, across the street from an abandoned warehouse in Bontemps, an owl was sitting on the biggest branch of an old tree, meticulously monitoring the movements from this guy that pulled up there earlier, lifting something heavy from his trunk and carrying it inside…..

_**A/N:**_

_**A bit of a longer chapter, this time, and that's what I will try to do in the future, too. So Eric, although super loveydovey, might still be working with his fancy old vamp slyness. **_

_**I'm going to try and work towards the story being a little more action packed. It's been nice of Eric so be so cute and caring and loving but I like evil Eric too and can't wait to work out my version of vampire Sookie a bit further! **_

_**Thanks again guys for all the follows, favorites, and reviews. I'm quite new at this, barely know what I'm doing and it's a huge encouragement to know people enjoy what I write!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_Meanwhile, across the street from an abandoned warehouse in Bontemps, an owl was sitting on the biggest branch of an old tree, meticulously monitoring the movements from this guy that pulled up there earlier, lifting something heavy from his trunk and carrying it inside….._

Chapter 6

"I think I tracked down the guy that attacked Sookie. I went to the address you gave me yesterday, and found some clear tracks, but it also seemed that he'd cleared out any evidence related to what happened to our girl. I only found 3 distinctive scents: Sookie's, which as you know is so special, there was no doubt about it; then I smelt a vampire, I'm going to assume for now that that was you, and the last one was from someone human. The trail went dead right outside, of course because he came in and left by car. But when I got back to Merlotte's and was checking something behind the bar, the scent was there; the guy was having lunch there. So I made sure to check him out as he left once he was done eating. He drives a very shabby 1989 Buick Century, and it has a Nevada license plate 219 VGS. As soon as I closed the bar, I went out there and tried to track him down again. He's relocated to another abandoned place, and seems to be preparing for another guest."

"Sam, that's some outstanding detective work you did there. I think we should wait to see what his next moves are before moving in. Better to catch him with his pants down, don't you think? Sookie and I won't be able to get to Bontemps today but tomorrow, if needed, we could make our way there as soon as the sun sets. "

"Yes, I would agree. And I get the impression that he'll be around for at least a few more days, he seemed to be settling in, I didn't sense any other person with him yet."

"Alright, thanks Sam. We'll stop by at Merlotte's when we get in town and check in with you. Oh wait, seen as the guy comes there to eat, I'll call when I'm close, I wouldn't want him to see Sookie."

"Speaking of Sookie, how is she? Is she handling things ok?" "I think you'll see for yourself tomorrow but I believe she's just fine. But of course, she may have the baby vamp temperament waiting just around the corner. Don't you worry though, I'm prepared for if that happens, I know exactly where to take her to let go of some of that rage." "That's somewhat comforting to hear, thanks Eric. See ya tomorrow then."

I hang up the phone and can't help but be thankful for Sookie having always been so open minded. It's gotten her good standings with all sorts of supernatural beings, and that seems to be paying off now. I decide to not tell her about our plan for tomorrow just yet. I do believe we have some exploring and discovering to do before sun the sun calls us in.

"Eric, I want to try to float in the air again. It felt so awesome, and I think now that I'm properly fed, I should be able to last a bit longer." She's lucky; we're driving through a remote area, so I pull over right away and smile when I tell her to get out of the car and try.

It takes her a little focusing, but not for all that long, and in less than a minute she's hovering over the car, and she begins to laugh. "What's so funny, Stackhouse?"

"Well… I imagine myself wearing those red and black velvet robes with flaring sleeves, and having blood drip off my fangs, just like "real vampires" do in the movies. And then I realize that that's bullshit, because I already am a real vampire but instead of a tacky robe, I'm wearing a Michael Kors suit and Louboutin shoes." I raise an eyebrow at her, I'm glad she's so entertained by that but don't quite understand it. But a few minutes later the laughter goes from 'entertained' to 'hysterical', and then I realize that she's suddenly having that nervous breakdown I was expecting. Not this soon, but I was expecting it.

I elevate to her level and grab her shoulders. "Sookie, look at me. You're a little overwhelmed, right?"

She can't even speak; she continues to remain hysterical, but mostly sobbing now. This is the first time I see her cry tears, and it's heartbreaking to see. I try to pull her into an embrace but she pushes me off. I try again, not letting go of her arm, and but she pounds her fists on my chest in anger and shouts that she just wants to be left alone. And then out of the blue, she takes off into the night sky.

Flight, proper flight isn't something new vampires can do; it took me centuries before I was able to go even a short distance. But here I am, witnessing something I can only call extraordinary. I blink myself out of my gaze and rush after her. It takes a few minutes before I'm caught up and as I get above her, I wrap my arms around her middle. "Sweetheart, do you have any idea that what you're doing is spectacular? You're flying, you're actually flying! And it didn't take you 10 lifetimes to master it, you just did it effortlessly." She silently sobs on my shoulder as I hold her tighter and direct us back towards my car.

"Sookie, I know this is all a bit much to take in, and I really wish things had gone differently, that you would have had the life you had set out for yourself. But now we're here, and you got turned anyways, and you are absolutely magnificent." "Oh Eric, don't you get it? For once, I just want to be normal! I mean, not that being a vampire is normal, but if I had to be one, I figured at least it would mean that I would 'just' be a vampire like any other. But noooooo, Sookie Stackhouse apparently can't do normal, and had to get all sorts of new levels of freakiness when she became a fucking vampire."

"You are not a freak, you're not. You're just extremely gifted. Don't forget, you had some amazing powers in human life, and you were turned by one of the oldest vampires in existence. Perhaps the combination of that made that you indeed turned out a little different, but really, what do we know for sure? Have you experience any other cases of telepathy?"

"Eric, I want you to think something that's not too easy, or could be considered obvious. Turn away from me, and think something." I'm a little puzzled but do as she asks. After a few seconds she speaks again. "You're singing a Jace Everett song? I don't know who you think you are, but before the night is true, I wanna do real bad things to you."

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

"So there's something I haven't been telling you. Yesterday when I heard that woman? That was by total accident, and after that I didn't hear anyone the rest of the night. But today I decided to test myself, and find out whether it was a fluke. But Eric, I've been trying to listen in on a whole bunch of people and I can, if I choose, hear everyone's thought. Unlike during my human life, when I couldn't help but hear everyone and had to consciously make an effort all the time to tune that out, right now the default is off, and I can decide to listen in when I want to. When we were at Fangtasia earlier, I was trying to listen in on one of the waitresses but when the thoughts came in, I found that I was hearing Pam, while the two of you were talking business. And just now, well… you are the second vampire whose mind I tried to read and judging from the look on your face, I got it perfectly, didn't I?"

I'm not sure whether to be over the moon, or deeply, deeply concerned now. Sookie being able to read my thoughts is bad. I'll have to always be vigilant around her. I still have so many things she has no clue about! But at the same time, there are no words to describe how unique, extraordinary and amazing this is. It's unheard of.

She takes my hand and with a sincere look in her eyes she promises "Eric, I think I know your main concern about this. First of all, I'm not a mind reader; I can only hear what you're actually thinking. So I won't go digging for your deepest darkest secrets, because I can't. And quite frankly, I have no desire to read your thoughts all the time, so I think it's safe to promise you I won't ever do that, not without your clear approval upfront. It could prove to be useful in some occasions too, babe, it's not just negative."

As I let this information sink in, I notice that she's stopped crying and is actually trying to comfort me. The woman I love, my latest progeny, is the best thing that ever happened to me, and at the same time she has just become a huge potential danger to my existence as I know it.

I quietly tell her we should head home because we have to prepare for a stay in Bontemps before sun rises, so we get in the car and I drive us home.

All of our purchases from earlier tonight have been delivered to my home, and Sookie tells me she'll go and unpack and put it all away. I grab a bottle of blood, warm it up, and settle in on my couch and turn on the TV and zap around the channels for a bit, but my mind keeps going over the events of the past two days. I guess Sookie had a point. Instead of only selfishly seeing the potential risk for me, there are quite a few situations I tend to find myself in, where it could come in handy to be able to communicate. We just really have to make sure that this remains our secret. Not even our closest friends and partners can be aware of this. If it becomes known, Sookie will be at risk and that's one thing she's already had enough of, at least for a good while.

When Sookie hasn't emerged from our dressing room well over an hour later, I go and check on her. It seems she found something good in my library, and she's curled up in a little ball of cuteness, reading her book.

"So I buy you all these fancy clothes and you still chose to drown in my pajama pants and shirt, huh?" I smile at her. Somewhat sad and also somewhat relieved she replies: "Wearing this made me feel close to you again, because clearly you couldn't do that yourself for a bit there. I'm sorry Eric, for freaking you out like that, but I didn't choose this. I didn't choose to be turned, and I didn't choose to remain a telepath. I'm also just learning to know myself all over again and it's a friggin' emotional rollercoaster. I thought vampires were supposed to be cool, calm and collected! But I'm happy that you're speaking to me, at least before the sun rises."

I sit down next to her and pull her towards me, and she nestles down on her side, her head resting in my lap. Gently stroking her hair, I explain: "I was shocked, and probably for all the wrong reasons initially, to find out that you could read my thoughts. And yes, a part of me does worry that you'll end up knowing more than is good for you, but I think the potential benefits of your power outweigh the risks by a long shot. I would like you to be more open to me about discoveries like this though, Sook. I am aware that not every place we go to is suitable for delicate conversations but then as soon as you are able to, fill me in. I don't know what's to come still for you. I'm really wondering, for example, whether you'll sleep through the day today, or whether perhaps you have other unexpected abilities." "Good Lord, I sure hope not. The flying is super cool and the change to my telepathy is sort of awesome, for the most part, as I am the one controlling it, instead of it forcing itself on me. But I really don't need anything else!"

The remaining time until sunrise, we spend just cuddling a bit, making small talk, the way I can only do with Sookie. If Pam would witness this she would roll her eyes and call me a pussy, but I really enjoy these moments. For the first time in many centuries, it makes my house feel like a home, and as much as I would deny that to others, it's something I've often missed, in my existence.

When I wake up that evening, Sookie is right next to me and she's not awake yet, but by the time I finish warming up my True Blood, I hear noises coming from the bedroom. I quickly warm up a bottle for her too and bring it to her. "Here, my love, I made you breakfast." I give her a long, slow kiss good morning as I hand her the bottle. "By the time you finish that, my bath will be full, and I would really enjoy it if you joined me in it. We can't show up in Bontemps all dirty and smelly now, can we?"

She kisses me back and pulls me into the bathroom, where we end up getting even dirtier before finally getting cleaned up.

**A/N Aww Eric, you're just such a softie at heart!**

**I'm sooooo sorry, but I have to cut it short here, as I wanted to post this before the weekend but thought I had like a few extra hours, and just got a phonecall that I have to get going like 10 minutes ago.**

**Anyways, the Jace Everett lyrics, of course, are not mine but his and I only borrowed them without any intention of making any form of personal gain. **

**Will try to update again on Monday, or Tuesday at latest. Have a great weekend, everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hi again! Just a few things I'd like to clarify:**_

_**Sorry sorry sorry, Real Life threw some bricks at me so I wasn't able to write much.**_

_**As you may have noticed, this fic seems to not be tied to any timeframes within True Blood, or the books. A reviewer asked me about this, and the closest thing I guess would be to say that this is before when Billith took over. I haven't used many of the characters so far but that's mostly because Eric has been keeping Sookie to himself, so far. I may decide to use familiar names and just go OOC with them in the future though, or I might just keep them in the same way you're already familiar with. I might also completely ignore a few of the characters (shoo, Tara!). **_

_**I didn't have any plans when I started writing this, and even now I'm just going on a few really rough ideas that exist only in my head, which means that input (=reviews!) from readers might just influence the direction of my story. So if you have any ideas/wishes, let me know. I won't promise it will be done, or that it will be picked up right away, but I'll sure consider!**_

_**Anyhoo… here's Ch.7… it's extra long, as a suck-up gesture :P Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 7**

**Bontemps:**

Sam meets us outside Merlotte's after we called him to announce our arrival. Sookie isn't letting anything on but I just know she's got to be nervous about meeting anyone from 'before' for the first time. So I'm very surprised when she gets out and rushes to give Sam a big hug. "Oh thank god, you don't smell appetizing at all, Sam, you're safe from me!" Sam smirks awkwardly at that but hugs back just as hard. "I'm glad you seem to be doing alright, Sook. I mean, I know this wasn't… It's not what you had planned for yourself but I'm still glad to see you alive. Well sort of… You know what I mean; at least you're not in a coffin."

They both get in the car and Sam directs us to the abandoned warehouse. There doesn't seem to be anything going on there at the moment but we should still check it out. I park the car about 10 minutes away, but just as I'm about to explain what the plan is, Sam's phone rings. "Hey Jason, what's up? Wait, what? Nope. No, he wasn't at the bar when I left it 15 minutes ago and I haven't seen him all day. Alright, let me know if you need my help, buddy."

I glance at Sookie whose eyes are now the size of saucers, and I instantly know that she is now perfectly able to read the thoughts of the shifter, too. Trying to not give anything away, I ask Sam what's going on. "It's Andy Bellefleur, he left the police station right after lunch to go check on something that got called in, but he never made it back, and he isn't responding to radio calls, and his phone is off."

"That's not like Andy Bellefleur at all," Sookie says, "something tells me that he's in trouble, guys."

"Alright, let us check this warehouse out first and see if we can find any new traces. If we can be of help tracking down the sheriff I'll be happy to help but I want to deal with Sookie's attacker first", I say a little impatiently. Sam shifts into a dog, and speeds ahead.

**Sookie**

As we approach the warehouse, I take Eric's hand and point up. If we fly, we won't make any sound, and people tend to not notice us. Knowing Sam has superb hearing when shifted, I say in the softest possible way: "Sam don't freak out, we aren't abandoning you but will be up in the air, so if whoever this is comes back, they won't see us." The barks he lets out in response make it clear that he got the message.

Some time goes by but sure enough, eventually we hear a car approach, and sure enough; it's the Buick Sam described. I try and have a closer look at the driver but Eric pulls me back and lets me know to be patient. From this distance, I do not recognize him. I focus on his thoughts.

"_Fuck this! I shoulda been outta here days ago but I just couldn't keep the girl hidden so now I'm fucked until I bring them this guy. He's so fucking heavy, I'm gonna tear some muscles or break my back.. fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. "_

This guy looks like he hasn't showered for well over a week. His greasy hair sticks to his head and we can smell him in all his dirty, sweaty glory from all the way up here.

He goes to open the trunk and I'm not entirely surprised to see a very familiar figure in it: Sheriff Bellefleur. I smell his blood, so he must have a decent sized wound, or multiple wounds.

"Alright, you piece of shit, we can do this 2 ways. I can either lift you out and drag you inside, or you agree to behave, and I'll untie your legs so you can walk inside yourself. Andy squirms and grunts something which apparently means that he's agreeing to cooperate. We watch them go inside and as the door closes, Eric tells me to stay up here while he descends towards the warehouse to peak in through one of the windows. He then tells Sam: "I need you to run back to our car. I left the keys in the ignition so you can drive it back. Don't drive all the way up here, but wait right around that corner over there. We will free Andy, and judging from those sounds coming from inside, you'll need to be on standby to drive him to the hospital. I highly doubt he'll want to take in some of our blood, so he'll need oldschool care."

As Sam, still in his scruffy dog form, rushes off to our car, from inside that warehouse come the sounds of bones cracking, and then a loud grunty moan coming from Andy. "We can't let him suffer, Eric!", and even though he tries to hold me back, I'm unstoppable and I knock down the door.

Not sure whether it's my rage, or the scent of fresh blood, but my fangs pop and I run to the douchebag and pull him off Andy, who was pretty much being beaten to pulp. By the time the guy realizes what is going, I am holding him up against the wall, feet dangling in the air, so he can't move.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you doing this?" I hiss. His eyes are huge when he actually registers who just stopped him in his horrible plan. "You… you're that chick from a few nights ago." And with that realization, his expression changes. "Man I was gutted when I noticed you were gone. I'd have loved handing you over to them, but what I really wanted most of all was to have another go at that sweet sweet pussy of yours or maybe even that ass." I slap him in the face. "Shut the fuck up." "Oh you mad now huh sugartits? Really, you were the best fuck I had in years; you even moaned for me as I was ramming my…" I don't let him finish, I do not want to hear it so I squeeze his throat shut.

Eric isn't speaking, nor is he really trying to intervene but I do feel he's as pissed off as I am, and really just wants to rip this dude's head off. He's freed the sheriff from the ropes and cuffs and is sitting by him to make sure he doesn't fade away.

"Eric could you hand me one of those rags over there, please?" As he gives it, I stuff the fabric into douchebag's mouth so deep it makes him gag. Eric takes the ropes he just got off Andy and ties douchebag up, probably a little tighter than needed.

"I think Sam is right outside, Sookie, so why don't you take Andy here and bring him to the car so Sam can head to hospital with him. I'll try and make sure this guy is secured properly"

I kneel down besides the sheriff and gently stroke his cheek. "Andy, I'm so sorry this happened to you. Let's get you to safety now, I promise you Eric and I will set this shit straight. You have my word for that."

When I pick him up, I'm somewhat surprised that I don't really feel his weight, and I can't help but chuckle. "Andy Bellefleur, light as a feather, who'da thunk?!"

When Sam sees me come outside he pulls up the car, and clearly is not only worried about Andy but also mildly entertained by this image. "Gotta hand it to ya Sook, this vampire thing seems to come quite natural to ya, but I'll never get used to seeing the tiny fragile Sookie I remember, carrying a half-giant like the sheriff here like he's a bag of feathers."

"Go get him to the hospital, please Sam. I think he's going to be ok but he lost quite a bit of blood, and we heard some bones crack so those need to be looked at." "Ok Sook, will do. Should I come back here later to give you back your car?" "Nah, we may be a while, but I don't want you to be involved into anything that might end up giving you trouble, sweetheart. Go back to Merlotte's, we'll let you know how things go."

**Eric:**

I hear Sam driving off in my car, and after making sure the guy is really not gonna be going anywhere, I head outside to talk to Sookie.

"Babe, do you want me to glamour him and get the truth out of him?"

"Actually, Eric, I do want you to glamour him, but only so that he will not talk about anything he may have done to me. I want to be able to hear his thoughts without the glamour effect on them. It's a lot rawer, but it will be more truth than he will ever express in spoken words."

I consider this for a bit. I guess she has a point, even glamoured people cannot be forced to actually speak up, it's just that they can't tell lies when they do decide to talk.

I grab him by the throat and force him to look at me. "We are going to be asking you some questions. You will reply to them truthfully. You will remember your actions of a few nights ago when you took Miss Stackhouse, but you will not remember taking advantage of her vulnerability. You have kidnapped her and beat her, but you will not have any recollection of any sexual dealings. Is that clear?"

**Sookie:**

When Eric nods at me that it's ok to start our questioning, I approach the guy.

"Seen as I have no idea who you are, I assume that you didn't have any personal vendetta against me. Am I right?" He nods.

"So who are you working for? "I don't know. Some guy approached me last week and asked whether I was interested in making a shitload of money. Of course I was, so then he gave me a disposable cellphone and told me to keep it with me at all times, they would contact me when they needed me."

"Was this person human, or was it a vampire?"

"Oh he was definitely a vampire. He didn't show his fangs or did that crazy shit with the eyes but he was cold and had that same grace you lot got."

'_I ain't telling them about the follow-up call I got yesterday during the day. If I can make them believe it's just vampires, that'll keep 'em busy for long enough for me to get away safely, and after that all of 'em can go fuck themselves!'_

I don't want him to realize I can hear his thoughts so I decide to back off a bit. "Why thank you kindly, I'll take that as a compliment. So tell me, what were you supposed to do with me?"

"I was s'posed to hold you for the night, and would get further instructions the next day. But when I told them you got away somehow, they instead told me to go after the cop."

"Now hold on. You say 'the cop'. Did they actually tell you it had to be Andy Bellefleur? Or did they say 'the cop'?"

'_Crap is she telling me a shithole like this actually has more than 1 cop in town? Oh fuck, come to think of it they did mention something about him having blonde hair and this guy I got was kinda bald.' _

"DID THEY?" I feel Eric behind me trying to calm me down through our bond, but so far it's not really working, I'm beginning to get real pissed off now.

"The dude on the phone told me to take the blonde cop hostage, ma'am."

I turn around. "Eric, that means he was supposed to take Jason. We must make sure he stays safe!" "We will, Sook, but first we have to decide what we're going to do with this guy here."

We sure as hell can't let him go just yet, we need to keep him secured at least until his next contact with whoever's behind this.

"Actually, Sookie, I have an idea, but we're going to need to get your brother on board."

He fills me in on his plan, and seen as it might at least lead us to the real culprit, I decide that we should get the thing going.

**Eric, 2 hours later:**

I've now glamoured the piece of filth completely and he's at our beck and call. "Listen closely. When your phone rings, you're going to tell them you managed to capture Jason. Jason, I'm gonna need you to act like you're struggling to be freed, in the background. Make.. like grunty noises or something, just keep it credible.

I have to give it to Jason, when I called him to explain the situation he didn't hesitate for a second and wanted to help. I do think that stupidity may have more of a role in that than common sense, but it doesn't matter. We have his help, and should be getting to the bottom of all this before the sun rises. And if not, we'll at least be a whole lot closer.

As we wait for the disposable phone to ring, Jason gets to take a good look at Sookie. In his eyes is some sadness, mixed in with awe, and relief and mostly just love for his sister. "Sook, how you holding up? I was so worried 'bout you." "No need, Jason, I'm fine. You know too that I wouldn't have chosen this life for myself, but so far, it's been quite the trip. And Eric here has asked me to give him 6 months to really experience the vampire life before I decide whether it's for me, so I'm considering stuff for now, while we focus on this kidnapping thing."

Finally the phone rings and our kidnapper answers.

"Hello?

Yes, I had success. You could have told me that this hellhole had more than 1 cop going around in town. I nearly got the wrong man.

Well, I'm at the abandoned warehouse your told me about, and the dude's tied up and breathing and in good health. Sure, I'll hold the phone close."

This was Jason's sign. He stuffed a piece of cloth in his mouth and grunted and protested like a boss.

"Wait what? You're sending someone here? When?

Alright, no problem, I'll wait around for a bit longer. What'd you say his name was? Compton?"

And instantly my ancient blood boils. Bill Compton is involved in all this. I glance over at Sookie but she seems in full control of her emotions; a little too much, even. I know her though, and am aware that trying to talk to her will only set off the time bomb that's ticking inside her. I figure it's better to save that for when Bill gets here.

"Alright, so they told me that some dude named Compton is going to come and get Jason from me sometime in the next hour. Once he's got him, he should be paying me my fee and I'll be free to go." That's what you think, you son of a bitch…

Sookie apparently shares my opinion and hisses at him: "Just because they tell you that, doesn't mean we agree. You treated me like a piece of trash, you abused me and you nearly killed me. You are by no means free to go. Now sit your ass down and be a good little human and keep that filthy fucking mouth shut." She mutters some more profanities, but then Jason bursts out in laughter.

"What the hell, Sook, since when did you get to be such a badass? I'm not complaining, I think it's pretty damn impressive, but man, what a change." This makes Sookie also laugh, and visibly calms her down. She sits down next to Jason and rests her head on his shoulder. "Oh Jason, I'm not even sure how to feel about all this. I guess it's not as horrible as I'd imagined it to be. There's changes in me, some subtle, others more drastic. I don't feel like myself, but I'm not so sure that this change is a bad thing. Maybe it's exactly what I needed to cope with some of the shit that was coming on my path whether I liked it or not."

Jason hugs her, and gives her a loving peck on the cheek. "Whatever you decide, Sook. All that matters to me is that you're happy with the choices you make. Look, I know we've differed in the past, and I also know I'm a giant knucklehead sometimes but I want you in my life, Sook, even now that you're a vampire."

She doesn't reply, she just smiles at him and it seems he's just helped reinforce her in whatever thoughts she was having. Then I become aware of the fact that we aren't done here just yet, and we have some quick preparations to do.

Sookie ties up Jason and makes sure he looks like he's been dragged around a bit, and while she does that, I reglamour the scrub. "When I finish talking, you will count backwards from 10 to 0, and when you're done, you will not remember that Sookie and I are here. You will know that Jason didn't put up too much of a fight, and that you captured him quite easily. You shall not give Compton a hard time, and won't draw attention to anything. Is that clear?" As he nods, I tell him to start counting from 10 to 0, and as he does that, Sookie and I figure it's best to wait up on the roof, where nobody will spot us.

After about 20 minutes of having to listen to those 2 dumbasses making small talk, I sense Bill approaching. I signal at Sookie that she has to listen to my thoughts. "Babe, there's nothing right now, but I want you to hear me in case I have something to communicate to you. Keep this connection open, please?" She nods in acceptance.

We hear Bill enter the warehouse. The minion speaks: "You Mr. Compton? As you can see, I've got the cop here and he's unharmed. Well, apart from a broken ego, I guess."

"I do see that. Unfortunately, you've failed to act out the original assignment, so your reward is a bit smaller."

"What do you mean, they never mentioned that? I didn't go through all this trouble to get ripped off by a bunch of vampires. Now give me my goddamn payment so that I can be on my way."

I hear some rustling and then a lot of noise, ending when I clearly hear the cracking of bones. Bill has snapped his neck and the guy is dead. That when Jason begins to panic and squirm, we clearly hear his fear from the primal noises he's able to make.

Then Bill takes off Jason's gag and speaks: "Well hello there, Jason Stackhouse. I was supposed to have your sister here but she's gone missing and I have to find a way to get her to come back to me. I don't have much of a heart but she broke mine by leaving me for that tyrant Northman." "What do you mean, vampire Bill, you were always sucking up to him like there was no tomorrow."

"Well Jason, you know what they say. Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer. I know when to not alienate someone if I want to keep what I have, but that Viking went ahead and took Sookie away from me anyways. She was mine, you hear me? MINE!"

"_Holy shit, Sook, I think he's lost his mind."_ She nods at me again, clearly agreeing with that statement.

"So then you really thought it'd be a good idea to have her kidnapped, huh?" Jason replies. "You hired some dumb fuck who ended up raping Sookie, and hurting her so badly that by the time they found her, she was nearly dead, you asshole. So she was brought to safety and she's recovering, and you can do whatever you want but I ain't telling you where she's at."

Bill lets out a hysterical laugh. "You do realize I can force you to spill the details, right?"

Sookie gestures at me that she wants to go in there, and before I even have time to agree or disagree, she's gone, and lands down on the floor right at the doorstep.

"You won't have to do that to him, Bill, I'm right here." I hear her say as I also descend. We step inside together, and after a short second during which he actually looks happy, the shock on Bill's face when he notices Sookie's fangs, is a priceless thing to see.

"Northman, you dick. You turned her?"

"It wasn't intended but it was the only option. She was so badly injured that the only options left were death, or a vampire existence."

"I'll speak for myself, Eric, I can handle this".

"Bill Compton, I can't believe that you're the reason all this happened to me. REALLY, what were you thinking? I was clear to you the last time I saw you: We are done. I did not then, nor do I now want to be with you. I'm thankful for good memories, but they are forever tarnished by the idea that you meeting me was never a coincidence, and always a premeditated event."

"Sookie, please hear me out." Bill beckons.

"No, I'm done hearing you out. You've gone too far, I am done with you. The only reason Eric did what he did because he wanted me to have the choice. And you know what, I might just stay up a little longer and meet the sun, this morning. And it will be on your conscience if I do. You fucked up, Bill, I could have possibly been open to some sort of friendship with you in the future but after this, you can forget about that. You horrible, selfish piece of shit. "

Bill is quiet for a second, clearly considering his next words and actions carefully.

"I'm sorry, Sookie, this was never my intention. My plan was to take you away from Eric, because to me, it's always been him that was the main threat to your humanity." I snort when I hear him say that. How dare he? "When I found out you somehow got away, my only option was to take your brother and I was certain that that would bring you back to me, asking me for help. I would have glamoured him, he wouldn't have remembered a thing, and I would have had you back in my life. To love, to cherish, and to keep alive and human."

"Wow, Compton. How delusional were you? Sookie already said it, she was never going to be able to trust you enough to be in a relationship with you. And that's on you. Her becoming a vampire, is the only choice I will make for her, and it was purely so that she could have the choice herself. If she were to decide that she would rather meet her true death, then I would accept that. Because that's what really loving someone means; you accept it when you know that they really want something for all the right reasons. Or when they don't want something."

**Sookie:**

I just know that Eric is really meaning all that when he says it. He really does love me, and he values me, and my free will, more than I thought he did.

"What it comes down to, Bill", I take over,"is that you can try and try and try again, you can kidnap people all you want but that's not going to bring me back to you. For the umpteenth time: You and me, we're done. You have no obligation towards me, and better yet, I don't want you meddling in my life. All I want is for you to disappear and leave me the fuck alone. I'm Eric's, in more than one way, and you are never going to come between that."

It seems to really sink in now, as Bill has bloody tears running down his cheeks.

"Eric, why don't you go and free Jason, he's suffered enough, even though we tied him loosely. Yes, Bill, your little minion actually managed to fuck up a second time; he got here with Andy Bellefleur in his trunk. You know, your descendent." I raise an eyebrow at him when I say that, and Bill cringes.  
"You know, I really want to just kill you for what you did, but I think leaving you to wallow in your misery is a much better punishment. All I want from you is to stay away from me, and my friends and relatives forever. If I hear that you even went close to Jason again, I'm personally going to come and end you. Am I making myself clear?"

He's absolutely sobbing now, but seems to be aware that there's no other way to respond than with a "Ok, you've made yourself clear. I really hope you will one day change your mind, my doors will forever be open for you."

"Don't you worry, I won't be keeping you to that. I meant what I said: I want you out of my life. Come on, Eric, Jason, let's get the fuck away from this lousy piece of shit that calls himself a friend. Goodbye, Bill Compton."

**A/N: Decided to cut it off here, it's been a long night for our baby vamp and her maker. I'm very unsure of this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it**


	8. Chapter 8

… _**or was it? Seems the night isn't over just quite yet! A little more action, and to my own surprise, some big time smut.**_

Chapter 8

Eric:

"Goodbye, Bill Compton."

She takes my hand and we start making our way outside but then out of the blue I feel a surge of fury coming from her through our bond, and she turns around and attacks him, pinning him with his back against the wall, and holding a rusty lead pipe to his heart

"You're working with a faerie? THEY SET YOU UP TO DO THIS TO ME?"

Bill can't find his words, he's so stunned by the fact that obviously, Sookie had heard his thoughts.

"William Compton, if you don't tell me the whole truth now, I'll take this lead pipe and use it to pierce every part of your body until your heart is the last thing left. SPEAK!"

Damn, this woman. Her fierceness just gave me a massive boner. I know, it's misplaced, but the more she comes into her vampire life, the more I am in awe with her.

Compton apparently realizes there's no use in keeping quiet and starts to talk.

"It's not entirely like that, Sookie. I have a deal with one specific faerie. I would bring you to him, and I would receive something in return."

"So before, all the bullshit about wanting to protect me from big bad evil Eric, you just made that up. You know, in spite of everything, I decided against using my telepathy on you because for whatever reason, I figured you had deserved my respect. But seen as you would selfishly just offer me in some bullshit deal, I think I'll fish all of it out of you myself. At least then I will know the real truth."

During that next minute, a whole array of facial expressions can be seen on Sookie as she deciphers all Bill's panicky thoughts.

Eerily serene, she lets go of Bill. "Thank you for revealing all that to me, even though apparently you felt it needed to give me a bullshit story just 10 minutes ago." Just as Bill finished straightening his clothes, she repeats "Goodbye, Bill Compton" and slowly but firmly drives the lead pipe through his heart. Bill can't even speak, he is in such shock, but after a few seconds he realizes his fate and he manages to mutter "I'm so sorry, Sookie, I really….".

And then, all that's left of Bill Compton is a pile of gooey substance.

I'm in shock. Jason's in an even bigger shock. But Sookie comes to us, hugs Jason firmly, then gives me a mindblowing kiss and tells us: "I'll explain everything later, but trust me, this had to be done. Let's go get you home, Jason, and then Eric and I have to go feed."

I fly over to Merlotte's and get the car, leaving a note for Sam saying we'll contact him tomorrow, and then drive back to pick up Sookie and Jason. We could have just had him piggyback on either of our backs but I figured he's had enough exposure to Sookie's changes for one night, and judging from how silent he is when we drop him off, I think I figured that right.

"Jason, will you be ok? I won't be able to check on you until after sunset, but you know you can always go to Sam if you need help or anything, right?" "Yea Sook, I know, but I'm good, don't you worry. Will I see you again soon?" "Yup, we're gonna crash at Gran's place, so I'll come check on you as soon as I'm up."

They hug tightly and we wait until Jason is inside before taking off.

The next few minutes, we both just listen to the music that's playing. I figure Sookie will talk when she's ready.

"Babe, I know you hate spending the night in that cubby at gran's house. If you prefer to head over elsewhere just for the night, I would understand. But I don't want to leave Bontemps tonight."

"Actually, I do know a very nice place that's not only got a light tight room, but is entirely light tight, and it's owner won't be needing it anymore." I know it's a bold idea and if she doesn't want me to follow through, I'll respect it. Instead, she laughs her wonderful laugh, and tells me "Oh what the hell, why not. Nobody will miss him for at least 24 hours, so they won't come looking for him, and we'll be safe there."

So that's how we end up crashing at the place of the man my awesome lover just sent to his final death. After raiding his True Blood stash, we let the bathtub fill with hot water and bubbles and I pay very close attention to washing Sookie's back. She enjoys this immensely and I can feel her tensions fade away, it's like she's melting in my arms. "Sookie, do you have any idea how amazed I am with you?" I really am. No other woman, let alone a newly made vampire, has ever had such an impact on me. "When you turn around and pinned him down, and the way you spoke to him.. I don't think I've ever been more turned on. For such a tiny cute little thing, you're certainly one hell of a powerhouse kickass vampire." I kiss her neck, and continue to caress her body in the soapy water.

"Well, this kickass vampire really really wants to forget about today's events for the rest of the night, babe, so how about you shut up and make love to me until the sun comes up?"

That's all I needed to hear. I get us both out of the tub and dry us off, and then I carry Sookie to the guestroom. I lay Sookie on her back and kiss her deeply. "Silly question, sweetheart, but do you trust me? Enough to give me control?" She doesn't even hesitate before nodding her head. I take an old bed sheet and rip 3 strips off it. The first one, I use to turn into a blindfold. "Eric you do know I can just tune in to your thoughts and figure out that way what's gonna happen, right?" "Yes lover, I do, but I trust that you'll prefer to experience this without any forewarnings." Besides I'm not even doing this to have the control over her. I just want her to be in the moment, and to be able to fully focus on the sensations.

I kiss her neck, then drag my tongue down to her right boob, and suck her nipple in my mouth. She's so sensitive that her left nipple instantly gets rock hard too. Then I kiss my way back up to her face and nibble on her lips a little, and I gently guide her arms so they are spread out widely, and I tie them to the bedposts on either side.

My goodness, she's hot like this. I kneel down next to her on the bed, and as my right hand massages her tits, my left hand slides to her side, across her hip, down her leg. When I reach her knee, I pull my hand towards me a little, so my left hand is now in between her knees, slowly moving up to her thighs, and I gently pressure her to spread her legs for me. When she does, I smell pure arousal. There's still that very small, but very distinct hit of faerie in her scent, and when I smell it, my dick flexes and I get chills all over my back.

I caress her body for a while like this. Just massaging it, warming up her senses, relaxing her so she'll be able to let go and surrender to intense stimulation. Every time my hands run up her thighs, she ever so subtly tilts her pelvis, offering her sex to me. When I playfully let a finger brush her lips as I move to her tummy, she inhales sharply as her fangs pop out.

"It seems you are ready for me, my love." , I smugly say to her before I position myself over her. I tenderly kiss her forehead, then move to nibble on her earlobe, and from there, I focus on her mouth. My tongue strokes her lips, playfully, and she tries to meet it with hers but I decide it's better fun to tease her by not giving in. Instead I work my way down her body; slowly run a trail down her neck, her boobs, and her stomach. As I cover her belly in feather light kisses, my hands are on her waist, also caressing her lightly and tenderly. I can sense her anticipation, her mind is completely off any worries she may have after today's events and she's 100% in the here and now.

I move my hands under her ass, and lift her off the matrass a few inches, then, with my hand, I explore her folds, and then slowly slip a finger inside her, while my mouth sucks in her nub, and my tongue runs flicks over it.

"Oh lord Eric, this feels so good", she moans. That encourages me to keep doing this for a while longer. Now using 2 fingers, I slowly hand fuck her, never letting my tongue stray. Her fluids are abundantly flowing, and I make sure to not let any of them go to waste. She's delicious, and I could do this for hours. I'm in a bit of a trance, fully focusing on making sure she's going to explode into the most mind-blowing orgasm she's had so far. I increase the pace at which my fingers are pumping into her as if from a far distance, I vaguely hear her beg "Oh god yes, that's it, a little faster, I'm so close to cumming". That's all I need to hear to let go of my restraints.

I poke my tongue inside her now, and use my hand to rub her clit thoroughly until she pushes herself off the bed, ass completely in the air, her body completely tense. It's so hot to see that I have this effect on her. The palm of my hand is still rubbing her clit, and with her ass free off the bed like this, I decide it's the perfect occasion for a little adventure. One more deep poke inside her, before I let my tongue slide down her perineum and cheekily tease her ass a little. This makes her cry out, and she begins to shake uncontrollably. Her fluids are now dripping down and I make sure to catch them all with my mouth. God, I love how sensitive she is to what I do to her.

When she comes down from her peak, she fall back down onto the bed and is visibly completely spent. I lay down next to her and undo her blindfold as I kiss her hard. "I think you enjoyed that as much as I did, baby, or didn't you?" "There's nothing in the world that gives me as much pleasure as pleasuring you. It's always been like that, but now you're a vampire, I don't always have to be as gentle as I just was with you." I cock an eyebrow as I say that. Just testing the waters, one could say.

I also untie her hands from the bed and when she's free I pull her into an embrace and kiss her neck. We lie there, just cuddling and fondling each other. I still have a massive erection, and surely Sookie doesn't oversee that little detail. She wrestles me onto my back and sits down on my stomach, kissing my mouth hard and passionately. Meanwhile she maneuvers herself over my crotch and sinks down on my throbbing cock, letting me go deep inside her and holding me there for a little while as she really subtly circles her hips around. She rides me slowly, but increases her pace. Her hands are now holding on to the backboard of the bed, and as she tilts her head back, I have the most spectacular view; her tits bouncing as she fucks me, her nipples rock hard. I can't resist, and push myself up, sinking my fangs into her neck as I pump hard into her a few times as ejaculate. This puts Sookie over the top once again as well, and, I guess purely out of instinct, she sinks her little fangs into my neck too as she digs her fingers into my back. We're so close and intimate at this point, the rest of the world could be falling apart and we wouldn't even notice it.

It is time to come to our senses though, sunrise is close, and even though we had a very rough night, I know there's more to be done tomorrow, so we shouldn't resist the call of the sun today. As we get ready for bed, Sookie looks at me tenderly and thanks me. "Thanks for not forcing me to talk, and thanks for letting me forget, for a while, there. I love you, Eric. So, so much." And with that, I'm more than happy to die for the day.

Sookie

I wake up a little disoriented, and notice Eric isn't up yet. I wonder what time it is, so I get out of bed and head downstairs. Hmm, it seems that it's good that we're at this house; it's only 3pm, so once again I woke way before sunset. I wonder if this means that I'm also somewhat tolerant to sunlight, and my curiosity makes me go up to the front door. I hesitate for a minute and then decide against it. I do not want to know, because if and when I do, and it's another freak show quality, I'll have to tell Eric about it. No, for now I'll just head back to bed and pretend to be 'asleep' by the time Eric wakes.

When I lie back down, my mind goes over everything that went down last night. I knew Bill wasn't being truthful to me. After all, the dude that had taken me tried to hide the fact that he'd received at least one call about these kidnappings during the day. So when Bill tried to make me believe that story about him wanting to keep me safe and human, and how much he loved me, I knew it was a load of bullshit. But I never, in my life, would have suspected that he was collaborating with a faerie. And not just any faerie, it was with my cousin, Claude. I've always known that Claude isn't trustworthy, but for him to do this, man he must really hate me. From Bill's thoughts, I managed to gather that there was a deal; Bill would kidnap me, and hand me over to Claude. In return, Bill would get a steady supply of pure faerie blood for the next year. I guess we'll have to pay Claude a visit, sometime soon.

Even though I've already been up and about, suddenly I feel the sun pulling me back into my slumber. I have just enough time to cuddle up to my Eric before I go out for a few more hours.

**A/N **

**So that was my little surprise update! **

**There are still some things Sookie has to find out about her new self, and as you may understand, there's another confrontation coming up quite soon, so stay tuned! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_**Bon Temps, September 21**__**st**__** 2010**_

_I, William Thomas Compton, a resident of Renard Parish, State of Louisiana, declare that this is my will._

_**Revocation**_

_I revoke all wills that I have previously made._

_**Marital Status**_

_I am not married._

_**Children**_

_Thomas Compton, born April 5 1862, deceased December 11 1868_

_Sarah Compton, born October 8 1864, deceased June 17 1910_

_**Disposition of Property**_

_I leave the following particular legacies:_

_A: I leave my house, known as Compton House in Bon Temps, and all my possessions kept at that address to Andrew Bellefleur._

_B: I leave the contents of safe-deposit box #2963 at the Crescent Bank & Trust in Shreveport to Eric Northman._

_If any beneficiary of a shared particular legacy does not survive me, the gift shall be given to the surviving beneficiaries of that particular legacy in equal shares._

_I leave my residuary estate, that is, the rest of my property not otherwise specifically and validly disposed of by this will, including lapsed or failed gifts, to Sookie Stackhouse. If Sookie Stackhouse does not survive me, I leave my residuary estate to Andrew Bellefleur._

_**Beneficiary Provisions**_

_The following terms and conditions apply to the …_

I stop reading and call Sookie through our bond.

We woke up about an hour ago and she decided to go over to her house to grab some things, clear out any perishables, stock her fridge with a small supply of True Blood, and lock the place up properly. "If I do decide to live there again, it'll need renovations and vampire-proofing first, so I might as well grab my stuff from now and take it with me to your place." As you may understand, I do not have any objections to her plan. I'm really happy about the way Sookie seems to naturally grow into the place I would like her to be. As a human, she would have resisted me endlessly because she would've thought that I was trying to take over her life.

It takes her 2 minutes to get back to the Compton house. "That was weird, I suddenly felt this irrestible urge to be with you. Was that you, calling me?" "Yes it was," I smile. "It won't always feel like this, I can call you with more urgency but it doesn't feel pleasant at all so I won't do that unless I'm ever in real, lifethreatening trouble." "Well, still.. you could have just call me on my cellphone!" Her objection doesn't sound like she's actually mad, but I do get her point and give her a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I just am so used to working this way, I acted on instinct." She smiles "It's ok, Eric, it's not like I wasn't thinking of you the whole time I was at my place, and it's much nicer to be close to you. So what was it that made you call me?"

I explain to her that I was just going through some of the papers that Bill had lying around in his study, and showed her the will. "Looking at that date, he had this will drawn up when him and I were dating. A lot has changed since, Eric. How do we know this is his last and final will?"

I grin at her. "Because there's a handwritten note from his lawyer, dated 2 weeks ago, stating that he strongly advises Bill to review it, following some recent purchases Bill apparently acquired. It's highly unlikely that Bill already managed to make the modifications he wanted, especially since he's been plotting your kidnapping. But I guess I'll have to somehow make a report about Bill's death to get that ball rolling."

Most vampires do not have a last will and testament. Even the ones with massive fortunes don't bother, simply because they more often than not live with rather large nests, which absorb the possessions in case one of them meets their true death. But Bill, even though he did have some ties, was what we consider a solitary vampire, and it seems he felt he had to make sure some people were well taken care of in the event of his passing. I'm mostly surprised that he would leave pretty much everything but the Bon Temps house to Sookie. I know about at least 3 properties he has in the United States, and I'm fairly certain there's a bank account in the Caymans, and possibly one in Switzerland too. I may have to prepare Sookie about how loaded she's about to get, or else she won't know what hit her.

**Sookie**

We're about to walk in to Merlotte's. My colleagues have no clue yet about what happened to me, and I'm a little insecure about what their reaction is going to be. But I have nothing to be ashamed of. Like Sam said the other night, between them seeing me in a coffin, or them seeing me like this, I'm pretty certain they'll be happy to find out about my change. So I fake a deep breath, take Eric's hand, and walk in.

"Oh hey Sook, we've been missing you! What's up with you?"

"Hey Holly, it's good to see you." My voice isn't as confident as I feel it should be. Then, out of the blue, 2 arms wrap tightly around me and my view is blocked by a huge amount of bright red hair. I think Arlene notices that I'm a little colder and she puts her hands on my shoulders and checks me out closely. After a few seconds, I see in her eyes that she realizes that something about me changed for good. In her loving voice she quietly says: "Oh dear, really, Sook? Are you… are you ok with this?" I smile at her and nod. She checks me out one more time and seems to be satisfied with that reply. "Sam's in his office, he told me you were stopping by and asked me to send you in." "Alright, I'll come see you before we leave again, Arlene."

We step into Sam's office. He shakes Eric's hand and hugs me. "Have a seat. I already spoke to Jason, he told me the actionhero version of what went down. I gotta say, I knew Bill would do crazy shit for you, Sook, but I never thought he'd go this far." "You know, I'm ok with how last night ended. Even when he knew the got caught with his pants down, he chose to lie to us about his reasons for doing this." "Well, as I understood yesterday, you can now read vampire thoughts too.. did that give you anything?"

I think hard about my next words. Is it really wise to reveal it all to both these guys. Yes it is. They are THE 2 persons in my life I trust the most, and have trusted for a very long time. No secrets, not about this.

"Bill had some deal with a faerie, to kidnap me and hand me over to that faerie. He would be getting something in return but Bill managed to keep that hidden from me. It even took some poking around before I figured out who the faerie was." Eric looks alarmed. "Who is the faerie, lover?"

When I mention the name Claude, Eric nearly loses his cool. I feel his rage flaring through our bond, and I can just tell that all that's on Eric's mind is ending Claude's life. I can also sense a little hint of excitement about potentially drinking faerie blood. Ugh, vampires!

"Sam, I'm not sure how much you know about Claude and about my faerie family. Claude is my first cousin. His sister Claudine is, or I guess, was my fairy godmother. Claude is a troubled guy. He has the protective nature of a faerie, but he's also ridiculously greedy and sometimes as stupid as he is pretty. To top that all off, it seems he's grown jealous, over time, about the way the faerie community seemed to welcoming me with open arms once they knew I was aware of what I was. And I think that that jealousy is the reason he made this deal with Bill. He knew Bill was still not over me, and he tapped into that to make Bill agree to kidnap me. Bill Compton was nothing but a pawn in the scheme."

"But here's the thing, guys. I do not want to go directly to Claude to deal with this. I'm so pissed, I'll end up killing him, and being a faerie myself, or I guess a former faerie… I don't want to cause an unnecessary shitstorm between vampires and faeries. So in spite of my instinct to go rip Claude's head off, I think we have to be smart about this. I'm going to call Claudine and fill her in on what happened. I'm not sure how she'll react to me being a vampire, but I do believe she will accept me, and at least be cooperative in settling the matter."

Sam looks like he's contemplating everything I just said, and Eric is still enraged but more frustrated now, and at the same time I feel that he's realizing that I'm right about this. Nobody benefits from a supernatural war.

Unfortunately, when I try calling Claudine, she doesn't answer. "Hi Claudine, it's Sookie. I'm sorry you can't answer your phone at the moment, but I hope you are well. I called you to discuss some very important stuff, could you please call me back as soon as you get this message? Thanks, and speak to you soon!"

"Ok, now we wait. She usually calls me back within 24 hours, so let's just go do whatever we have to do, and then Sam, I'll keep you posted. I don't think that, at this point, there really is much you can do, but I do think it's important that I keep you in the loop."

Sam looks at Eric. "Is it normal for a baby vampire to be so in control of everything, Eric? I thought the first weeks of a vampire existence were filled with accidental deaths and huge bloodbaths?" With a jolt of pride in his stomach, Eric replies: "It most definitely isn't normal, but Sookie has never been normal, so it doesn't surpise me at all." He tenderly caresses my cheek. "She's just proving to be as exquisite as a vampire, as she was a human."

"So Sam, there's something else we need to discuss. I know you have agreed to not schedule me for a bit. Quite frankly, my being turned and all the things that are happening, I don't think it would be fair to you, nor to the rest of the bunch, to stay hired here. Apart from all the things I feel I have to do, I'm also not sure I will be able to control my ermmmmm, emotions, let's keep it at emotions. And we can't have your customers feeling unsafe, and I also feel that the almost 30 years I've spent feeling uncomfortable and out of place have been enough. For once, I want to try and be comfortable with who and what I am, and I'm afraid that that means that I will be resigning. It doesn't mean I'm going to be a stranger, you're one of my closest friends and I really hope that stays, but you won't be my boss any longer."

"Yeah, cher, I sort of figured that already, so I was expecting you to say this. I accept your resignation on the condition that you tell your colleagues out there yourself that you'll be leaving. And I want you to know that, if you ever change your mind, my door is always open for you." He gets up and comes to give me a tight hug, and it feels a bit like he's saying goodbye to old Sookie. When I open my mind to his thoughts, all I hear are soft puppy yelps.

"Hey guys, I have an announcement to make, can y'all come to me for just a minute?" I wait a bit until everybody's gathered around the bar. "So, I'm not sure how to break this to y'all without shocking at least some of you. There's been an incident, a few nights ago, and I got seriously injured. So bad that, shortly after Eric found me, my heart stopped beating. Eric tried to heal me with his blood, but it was too late. Because of the extraordinary circumstances, Eric decided to at least give me the opportunity to decide on my own fate, and turned me." Most of my audience shuffled on their feet a bit uncomfortably at this, but their eyes didn't show fear, but sadness. "It's ok though, I'm glad Eric decided to give me the choice. I could have refused to take my first feed, and I would have withered. Even now, if I really want to, I can just walk into the sunlight, and my existence will be over. But in spite of having always said that being a vampire was not an option for me, now that I am one, I realize I'm not done, I'm not ready to stop existing."

An approving "amen, sister" comes from the back and I do not have to watch to know that that was Lafayette, giving his approval. Anyways, as y'all can see, I'm doing ok. But I do have my moments in which I lose control. And as a result, I feel it's better for myself, and for you guys and our customers, that I quit."

"Will we still be seeing you, Sookie? I don't think I can ever fear you. I know you're different but you look like the same old Sook to me." Arlene sniffs.

"Oh don't worry Arlene, we'll still be in touch! I love you and that hasn't changed. Matter of fact," I look around at each and every one of them, "I love all a y'all and if you ever need my help, you can still call me. Just not during the day!", I laugh, and that makes them laugh a little too. "For now though, I'm gonna be staying over at Eric's place in Shreveport, so I won't be spending time in Bon Temps for a bit unless I have some business to take care of. But I expect all of you to not be strangers. Stay in touch, and I will too, okay?"

And with that, my carreer at Merlotte's has ended. They all cautiously hug me but end up holding those hugs for much longer than usual. Lafayette is surprisingly quiet, so I dig into his thoughts and find that he doesn't think I look like a vampire at all. He's the one walking us to the door. Once I've said my final goodbyes to him for the night, I walk towards our car and yell: "Hey Lala?" He turns back and replies "Yeah, Sookie?" and I pop my fangs before looking back at him over my shoulder, and give him a big fat wink.

His thoughts as he lets out a good old belly laugh: _"NOOOOW she looks like a vampire alright!"_

We get back to Compton House, and I warm up some True Blood for us. "Babe, I really want to find a bloodbank soon, it's so much better than this synthetic shit." "No problem, as soon as we get back to Shreveport it'll be the first thing we do. Has Claudine rang back yet?"

I check my phone and see that she must have called when we were at Merlotte's. I dial her number again.

"Oh goodness, Sookie, is that really you?" "Yes Claudine, it is, how are you?"

"Sweetheart, you have no idea how good it is to hear your voice! I thought something horrible had happened to you. A few nights ago, I suddenly lost touch with your light, and I can tell there's just the smallest spark of it left, but I really thought you were dead, Sookie! What's the urgent matter you needed to discuss?" "Well, I think it's better to talk to you face to face" I look at Eric for approval, realizing too late that that might be a risk to Claudine's life. He nods. "I have to warn you, though, there will be 2 vampires, but I promise you you'll be safe. You have my word." In a matter of minutes, she appears by my side. She's wearing a ridiculous apron, and is covered in flower, and spots of tomato sauce and reeks of garlic. "Sorry, I was preparing a meal in the kitchen", she says when she sees my amused look. And then she sees the reason she felt a change in my light, and backs off into a corner and begins to sob.

"No no no no no, this can't be. Sookie, are you nuts, I can't be in this room with you, not when you're a vampire! A newborn vampire even!"

Eric steps in for me. "It's alright, Claudine. She still has a little fae in her, and it keeps her from wanting to do harm to you. And you know I have control over my lust, when it comes to you. You are safe with us."

I tell her about everything that happened.

"So I figure, the only right thing to do is to address this with whoever is in charge of the faeries, and see how we can resolve this. Is there any way you can help us, Claudine?"

I'm not sure it's just because of what she just found out about Claude, or whether my turning into a vampire still hasn't really sunk in, but she is unable to speak for a good 5 minutes.

"I can't believe that Claude would actually do this. I know he's been jealous of you, Sookie, for so long. He saw you being admired. Not just by us fae, but by all sorts of supes, and by humans too. His stripper career gets him admiration but it's never substantial or meaningful. To him it seems unfair that a waitress, who's not even a full fae, would get all that attention from all the right people."

She is thinking a bit too long for my liking so I open my mind to hers.

"_Yes, I definitely have to tell Niall about this. She's his descendent after all, and he made it my job to keep her safe. Claude, silly silly Claude. Why did you have to be so selfish and vindictive?"_

I keep my calm, fully aware that this is a very bad time to scare her.

"Claudine, I have a confession to make, and after that, I have some questions for you." She nods.

"I know you have to think that my telepathy is gone, because that's not a vampire trait. But in my case, I still have it. Better yet, I can choose who I hear now, any species, too. I've been enjoying the silence a lot, but I do use my power sometimes, and I just did on you." She gasps. "So I would like you to tell me who this Niall is you were thinking about, and why he would have the power to make you leave this world."

As I said this name, Niall, Eric jumped up, and I can feel how alarmed he is. I ignore him for now, I need to focus on Claudine.

"Niall is the oldest, and most important Fae there is, Sookie. He's our King." "Okay. So why would he order you to look after me, what am I to him?" "I can't believe you never figured this out… Sookie, Niall Brigant is your ancestor from your father's side. So effectively, you are royalty. We all are."

Great. Just great. What's a Fae King gonna do with a vampire for a grandchild?

"Sookie dear, I think you were right to take this path. If you were to retaliate on Claude, it wouldn't matter that you had a very valid reason for it. There are a lot of faeries that want nothing more than to take out all vampires, and who are eager to go to war with them. I think our only right move at this point is for me to go to Fae and talk to Niall. He will be unhappy with me for not keeping you safe, and he may make me stay in Fae for a while. So I can't guarantee you that I, or someone else will get back to you on this by tomorrow, it may take a while longer. But I can promise you that we will call back Claude, and deal with him, and that we will let you know what his punishment has turned out to be."

Suddenly, she gets all teary eyed. "I'm sorry this happened to you, sweetheart. I've done so much to keep you safe, and yet I didn't see this coming at all."

"It's not your fault, Claudine. Something was bound to happen at some point, what with me being a supe magnet extraordinaire. I'm just glad that being a vampire isn't even half as bad as I'd imagined it to be."

"Ok good, I'm glad to hear you say that, and to see that you mean it. Well I guess I better be off then. Need to prevent my kitchen from burning down first, but then I'll be off to Fae. Be safe, Sookie."

Eric

After a hug for Sookie, and a nod in my direction, she pops away. I inhale a deep snif of that faerie scent and then let go of my restraints, and relax.

"It's a good thing that you are immune to that scent, Sookie, but I wish you could experience what it does to us. It is so overpowering, it takes away any ability to control ourselves. Your average vampire – faerie meeting will escalate to a feeding frenzy in a matter of minutes. It's only because I'm this old that I do not lose my mind around her, but my instincts are still telling me to drain her til there's not a drop of blood left." "Maybe once the residual trace of faery fades from my body, I will experience that. But you'll have to promise me to #asyourmakericommandyou me in that case. I don't want to physically hurt my family, even if the blood tie is no longer in place."

"I can only 'hashtag command' you if you're still my bonded child, Sookie. So unless you are ready to accept my proposal, I can't promise you that."

"Well, I guess I better be clearer then, baby. Yes, I accept your proposal to be your child for at least 6 months."

My fangs snap out as my jaw drops. I'm amazed. Surprised. Elated. "Sookie, are you sure you don't want to give this a few more days thought? Are you really certain? Because there's no backing out after this, at least not for 6 months."

"Eric, I have never been so certain about anything. We've been dealing with some difficult situations, and all that that has done is show me how strong I am. Physically, but also mentally. I know that I'm not supposed to be this in control yet, but somehow I am, and it feels amazing. And apart from that, I finally feel that you and I are on the same level. I understand things now about you that I never did before, and that wasn't because I didn't want to understand, but because there are things about vampires that humans simply cannot fathom. Basically, this is the first time in my existence that I'm fiercely and genuinely proud of what I am, and I have you to thank for that. So if only for that, yes, I accept your proposal. But the fact that I'm also absolutely, unequivocally, head over heels in love with you, even more so now than I already was before, also plays a part. My love for you…. I can feel it in my veins. And I can feel your love for me through our bond as well. Together, Eric, we are unbreakable, and together we can conquer anything, and anyone. I still think that eventually, it will be in both our interest for me to be released, and for us to go on as mates, but for my own protection, I do agree to 6 months for starters. We will see from there."

When she's finally done talking, I pull her into me and tenderly kiss her. "It sounds like you really have thought this through, my child. I'm stoked, and relieved. Thank you for putting this trust in me."

"I feel we have to celebrate this, Master.", she says with a teasing tone in her voice. "How about we head back to Shreveport, so I can dress up in one of my pretty new outfits, and then we go out to celebrate?" She radiates.

How can I resist?

Just 2 hours later, I've just finished changing into a crispy clean outfit and am making sure my hair is perfectly done. Sookie has chased me out of our dressing room because she wants to surprise me. It takes her just 15 minutes more than me to be finished.

"Eric, close your eyes and don't open them til I say so. I'm coming out!" I can sense that she's a little nervous about showing herself to me, and that brings a tiny smile to my lips. She's just so adorably eager to please me in so many ways, and yet in other situations she can so clearly take charge of things on her own. She simply makes a sublime vampire.

"Ok, you can look now", she says quietly.

As I open my eyes, my knees go weak and my penis grows rock hard, all in the same second.

In front of me stands the sexiest, classiest creature I've seen in a very long time. She's wearing a dark red leather pencil-skirt, and a tight fitting, long sleeved off-white blouse that covers her tits, but doesn't fully close until just above her belly button, and she has on a superhot pair of black stiletto heels. Her hair is very neatly, but naturally done up, and the entire look is finished off by mesmerizing smokey eyes, and lipstick in the same color as the skirt. If it were up to me, I would take her right here, right now, and she can tell that that's what I am feeling. "Easy tiger", she laughs. "I didn't groom myself for over an hour just so you can mess me all up again!" She licks my neck and earlobe and then whispers: "Come on, let's go. I want to feed, and then celebrate with you."

"Well how about we combine the two then. Let's go to Fangtasia, and see if we can find an eager customer for you to drink from, if you're up for that?"

I decide to call for a limo to come pick us up and drive us. After all, this lady deserves nothing but the best. It shows up only 10 minutes later, and drives us to the bar. When we get out, the people that are waiting in line all look at us, or maybe just her, very excitedly. It is obvious that it's not just my love for her that makes me think she's that gorgeous. It's another crowded night, hormones are raging through the club, and when the first customers see that we walked in, the atmosphere gets even more heated. It's like we're some sort of aphrodisiac, and I love having that effect on people. After all, that's why my bar has been such a huge success all this time, and why I'm making so much money.

We hear the DJ announce. "Ladies and gentlemen, Fangtasia's owner, mister Eric Northman, is proud to present to you his new progeny, and mate, miss Sookie Stackhouse. Congratulations, boss, this song is for you!" and he plays a song you won't usually hear at a vampire bar, but it's just so appropriate in this situation. I softly sing along in Sookie's ear: "_The night we met, I knew I needed you so. And if I had the chance I'd never let you go."_ She beams at me as she wraps her arms around my neck and runs her tongue over my lips. I'm lost in the moment, it feels it's just me and her, and we move in unison to the music. It's only when the song is finished that she replies to me. "I already am your baby, baby. In so many ways!". Our lips crash together and we kiss for what seems like 10 minutes. When we finally release, the entire bar seems mesmerized by us, and Sookie and I both don't care one bit about getting a little carried away.

"Is Pam not in tonight?" Sookie asks, but before I can answer, Pam's already by her side, looking terribly flustered. "Oh I am. I just had to withdraw for a few after I saw you two coming. Sookie, you're like.. an orgasm on heels, for me." I can feel how badly she is turned on by Sookie through our bond, and I can't help but chuckle. "Easy, Pam, you know Sookie doesn't swing that way."

"After that show just now, you two better stay here for a while. It's good for business!", she growls, and I believe she has a point.

"Actually Pam, I believe Sookie would like some blood." "OOOOH Ok, I'm sure that can be arranged. Any preferences?"

Sookie thinks for a second and replies "I prefer O-neg, and I think I'd prefer a female. Being that intimate with a guy just wouldn't feel right, not tonight at least." I beam with pride and some cockiness. She's mine, and she knows it.

As Pam leads her away, I decide to quickly make a phonecall to the authority.

"Yes, hi, this is Eric Northman. I'm afraid I have some bad news to report. It seems Bill Compton has found true death. Yes, very sad. It seems he was in some altercation, all we retrieved were his clothes and his wallet in a pile of gooey remains."

They tell me they will make sure all the official instances and possible descendant are informed, and I leave it at that. By the time I hang up, I feel a huge rush of emotions coming from both my children. Oh dear….

When I walk into the basement where they took their snack, I don't believe my eyes.

There's Sookie, behind a fairly attractive women, drinking from the feeder's neck, and in between the feeder's thighs is Pam with her fangs tapping in to the vein there. 3 pairs of hands are all over eachother. Pam is purring, Sookie is happily humming, and the bloodbag seems to really enjoy this as she's just reaching her climax. What a view!

I embrace Sookie from behind and whisper in her ear. "Having fun, lover?" and as I say that, I unzip that sexy skirt of hers. As it comes off, Sookie's scent spreads through the air in the room. It makes Pam go nuts and as I leave her to take care of the human, I quickly zip open my pants and pull out my erection, and slide it into Sookie, who is extremely moist and ready for me.

I pump into her hard, deep and fast, there's nothing sweet about this moment, it's simply instinctive, lustful sex. I grab Sookie's neck and give it a gentle squeeze to indicate that it's time to stop drinking. Just as the human reaches her second climax thanks to Pam, Sookie pulls back and licks her neck so that the puncture wounds heal. Pam lies back, in total bliss, and watches us as I ram my cock into Sookie. The human gets up and kisses Sookie on the mouth thankfully. Sookie is so far gone that she isn't even fully aware of what's happening, and she french kisses her back. That's all it takes for me to reach my peak. A few more long thrusts later, I explode inside her and as I do, Sookie orgasms all around me as well.

Once we're all back to our senses, we get decent again, and I proudly walk Sookie back into the bar and lead her to the stage with the thrones.

"Sookie, as my child and my lover, I feel it's only right if you now also claim your throne as my Queen. Please, sit down." As she sits down, I kiss the back of her hand and I hear the murmurs from the crowd. As I sit down on my own throne and hold her hand, I contently look around me.

I'm such a lucky bastard.

**A/N.**

**In a way, even though there are quite a few open ends, I feel that this might actually be a good point to end the story. But I think I'll leave it to you guys. If enough people want me to continue, I will. I have a number for this in mind, and will evaluate over the next few days. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok, I'll keep going for a bit longer, but may decide to round it off in a few chapters anyways. We'll see. Here's a little update for you guys!**

A few days after Sookie agreed to staying my progeny, I decide it's time to start picking up a normal routine, and to help her, I set her up with some means that will help her get started properly in her vampire existence.

"Lover, can you please come to my study?" "Sure, let me just warm up some blood, I'm thirsty. You want some too?"

A few minutes later she walks in, wearing nothing but her bathrobe and that 'got fucked good last night' glow, and 2 bottles of blood.

"Have a seat, I have some things to share with you. I am aware that you might not be too willing to accept some of it, but know that, if needed, I can and will force you to accept them." That sounds like more of a threat than I actually mean it to be, but it's important to me that she accepts these things.

"You are my child, but more importantly you are my mate, and as such, I want you to share in some of the comforts of being a member of the Northman family.

First, please take these, and never leave the house without them." I hand her an Iphone 6, and a Platinum American Express card that's in her name.

"What was wrong with my old phone, and why do I need another bank account? I don't have any income!"

Ahhh there's a glimpse of my old human Sookie. The small town girl, hardworking but sometimes oblivious to the dangers of the big bad world, and especially unaware of the perils of being a vampire.

"Babe, there was nothing wrong with your old phone apart from the fact that you ran out of battery in less than a day. But I got you this one because it's secured. Vampires can do crazy stuff and we can't risk anyone tapping in to our phones. Also, I've pre-programmed some important contacts and apps in there. As for the bank account, as you call it, that's not what the card is for. It's a Platinum Card that gets charged to one of my main accounts. I've raised the limit to 250.000$, so if ever you want, or need to make a big purchase, you won't have any trouble. And Sookie, I really hope you won't hold back. I am giving you access to my possessions because I want to share my life with you, and want you to get used to the lifestyle I'm able to live."

She's quiet and a bit uncomfortable. "Eric, you know I've always been a girl with very little needs. Heck, I drive a car that's 18 years old and don't give a shit. I lived a simple life until now, and as you know, I was perfectly happy with that. I promise you I won't be stubborn about spending your money if it's really needed, but I simply don't see what on earth I could ever need that would cause me to even get close to that limit."

"Fair enough. I just want you to know there' s no reason for you not to spend any money, but I can understand if you don't want to just waste it on stuff you don't need. There are going to be some big, important vampire events soon for which you'll have to get some new outfits, and possibly some jewelry. There's something else I need to discuss with you too. As you know, the document we assume to be Bill Compton's last will stated that you are the heir to his estate. Now because you are technically no longer alive, I've had this checked out yesterday. Fortunately, ever since vampires went public, a lot of things have changed, and that also goes for succession rights. You are still able to identify yourself as being you, so there will be no issue if, or when the will gets executed. To speed up the process, I've informed the authorities that we've found Bill's remains. They are getting the ball rolling on officially declaring him as deceased, which may take a few weeks.

I've also requested for a list of Bill's registered possessions, just so you can prepare yourself a little bit." I hand her the envelope, which is still closed. If she decides to share what it says, great, but she won't have to. I doubt I'll be very impressed, but am certain it will leave her in shock, so with this, she can absorb the information at her own pace.

"Alright, that was it for now, I think. Unless you have any questions?" She is looking away and I through our bond I feel a huge sadness. "Sookie, what's wrong. Talk to me please. I can't help you unless you do, babe."

"Oh I don't know, it's all just so overwhelming. I guess I knew that this was all part of it, but just spending the 6 months with you as your progeny was already enough for me to be over the moon happy. But I guess I only just realized that you're gonna have to go back to work soon, and I'll just be… here… with a phone and a creditcard. I can't just go running back to Bon Temps every time I feel lonely, now, can I? But Bon Temps is all I've ever known. So I feel I have a blank slate but no clue how to fill it. I have no job, I only have you, and although I really do love you more than I can show, I really do think it's not healthy for us to be on eachother's lip all night, every night."

"Sookie, I'll have you know, you can be on my lips for the rest of eternity and I don't think I'd ever get bored" I say, raising a cheeky eyebrow. Her frustrated grunt makes that I quickly continue "but I understand what you're saying. And I agree it will be good if you have an occupation of some sort. Honestly I don't care at all what you choose to do, you're more than welcome to join the Fangtasia team until you figure out what it is you would really like to do. I could tell Pam to just show you the ropes, it wouldn't hurt any of us, nor the business if there were another person who knew about all the ins and outs. You don't have to decide on this straight away though, take your time, love."

As we sit there, contemplating Sookie's possibilities for a bit longer, the security guy at the gate calls. "Mister Northman, there's a man here to see you. Were you expecting anyone?"

"No, not that I know of. Have you asked for his name and what his business with me is?" "No sir, but let me ask."

"He says he can't even begin to explain what his business with you is, but that his name is Mister Brigant." I jump up, and so does Sookie. Holy shit, the faery king is here at my doorstep and wants to come inside. "Put him on the phone, please, Chuck."

When he does so, I don't even wait for a greeting. "Respectfully, your majesty, are you OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN FUCKING MIND? You do realize that if you step even half a foot inside my house, I will devour you like a midnight snack, right?"

It seems that that humors the King. "Don't worry, Mister Northman. I am the fairy king. I master plenty of tricks to hide myself, or in this case, to hide my scent from silly little vampires. Now, are you going to let me in, or should I stay out here and catch a cold?"

I tell Chuck to let him through, and Sookie quickly withdraws into the bedroom to put on something decent instead of that bathrobe.

"Your majesty, it's a pleasure and an honor to meet you. Please join me in my study."

As we walk in there, he looks surprised at my very large and well stocked bookcase, and the collection of art hanging on the walls, and standing on side tables. "Impressive, Mr Northman. You've obviously kept yourself busy, over the centuries. I figure you know the reason for my impromptu visit?"

"I have a fairly decent idea, sir. Of course, Sookie being a direct descendant makes her turning into a vampire a very unusual event. I promise you, if I had seen any other way out, I would have taken it. But her heart stopped beating twice, and when it got back up the second time, it was so very weak that I knew there was not much time left for her, certainly not enough for my blood to heal her. Had I been aware of the fact that she was related to you, I would have called on you well before it was too late."

Sookie knock on the door and I gesture that it's fine to come in. The king walks towards her with a very sad look to his face. "Sookie dear, it's such an immense joy to me to finally meet you. "

To my own surprise, I feel anger from Sookie. "If that is so, then why is it that I only found out about your existence yesterday, why wasn't I aware of who I was already? I had the right to know! You should have told me!"

The King stays calm. "Sookie, dear. I can only imagine how that made you feel. We decided to not inform you of your heritage because of the danger it would bring to your life. You were already in so deep with vampires and other supernatural creatures, we couldn't possibly risk anyone finding out that in fact you were a Brigant descendent. People, or vampires, rather, would have been out to harm you, just to raise trouble for our species."

"Well, it's too bad then that the only actual danger to me was actually a faerie." "Yes dear, I know, and I sincerely apologize for the incident. After I leave you both tonight, I am going to go find Claude, and he's going to come back to me to Fae for penance. He won't be allowed back to earth for at least a hundred years. He shall be held at a location where is magic will not work, and my suspicions are that it will be, at the very least, a humbling experience for him."

"Now tell me, child, how are you coping with all this?" "Well, I was telling Eric earlier, I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. I guess not in the least by the fact that I seem to be actually enjoying being so much more powerful. I have transitioned into a proper vampire, but some of my old abilities are also still there. As a matter of fact, my telepathy has evolved into something much more useful and pleasant."

"Is that so? Tell me more about that please?"

"Well as Claudine or one of the others probably told you, my telepathy never used to be very controllable. I couldn't stop myself from hearing everyone's thoughts, but I could focus on someone in particular and turn that specific voice up in volume. But now…. I only hear when I want to hear. And it's no longer just humans, I can hear vampire thoughts, even shifter thoughts. It is very useful and practical and the best part is, I can so easily hide it, now, nobody that doesn't have the right to, will know."

"How remarkable!"

Sookie nods enthusiastically. "And there's more! Eric tried to show me how to levitate, and I ended up being able of actual flight! It's by far the best thing about being a vampire!" When I send her a vibe through our bond to remind her of the sexual advantages, she quickly adds "well that, and some private intimate stuff, but I really wouldn't think you'd want to know that." The king chuckles. "No my dear, you were right in thinking that. Now, I have to ask you whether you will let me hold your hand for a while. I know, and I see, that you are vampire now, but I feel that there's the tiniest spark of light left in you and would like to explore that."

As soon as Sookie offers her hand, the king envelops it with his. After a few seconds, a gold aura shines around both of them. "How does that feel, my darling?" asks the king. Sookie has her eyes closed, but answers: "As if I'm lying in my gran's sun chair in the yard on a sunny spring day." "Good. I have just reignited the light in you. Now do me a favor and try to hold on to that feeling."

The king slowly lets go of her hands, and while his aura stays up, bright and golden and shiny, the one around Sookie quickly gets weaker, flickers a few times and then fades, leaving Sookie looking a little disappointed. "It's alright, dear. At least we know you still have a little of the light in you left. How long has it been since you turned?"

"It's been a week, actually 8 days to be exact. Wow that sounds nuts, so much has happened in that time. Did Claudine tell you about everything that went down?"

"Yes, yes she did. You did the right thing, killing that Compton guy. Like I said, Claude won't come close to you, ever again. I would like to express my gratitude to both of you though. You could have just gone for Claude and killed him. That would have caused a huge uproar in the faery community. But by showing us the respect you did, you've created some goodwill. They wouldn't have cared that Sookie still carries her light, as faint as it may be, they would have come after both of you."

"May I ask something about Sookie's light, your majesty?" "Oh please, just call me Niall, and I hope I can call you Eric from here on? You're my descendant's maker, I guess that makes us related in a very very odd way too. Close enough at least to ditch the formalities! But yes, sure, what do you want to know?"

"Well, her light, is that just residual light that will fade sometime over the next few weeks as her blood fully finishes the transition?" "That is indeed a possibility. But after I let Sookie try to hold up the light herself, did you see how it flickered before fading? That, to me, means that it's an active light, not a dying one. It may just stay like this, and it will mean you have no use for it, other than at times when you are in the company of other fae. It may also just be dormant for an undetermined period while your body adjusts to these clearly permanent changes."

"Sir? What will happen to Claudine? She was so afraid of being punished for not saving me."

"And she was right to be afraid. But that's one of the reasons I came to see you with my own eyes, I needed to make sure your spark was still present, because it means you still have need for a fairy godmother. We are going to have to provide Claudine with protective potions that will help her mask her fairy scent. This is an intricate, personalized potion which requires a specific ingredient that only grows in the obscure far corners of Fae and can only be harvested at times of syzygy, when the Sun, the Earth and the Moon are aligned."

"You need a supermoon first to harvest it?" I ask. I know that those only occur once in about 14 months, so that would be a long time.

"Don't worry son, I just told you that to give an indication of its rarity. I will be able to get some, but since it will be the dried version, we will have to treat it first, or else it will be too concentrated. All in all, I expect us to be able to get Claudine back to Earth at latest two weeks from now." He caresses Sookie's cheek with his ancient hand. "Do you think you can stay out of trouble until then, honey?"

It's interesting to see that there's obviously love between these too, even though they have never met. But I know Sookie has always been able to open her heart to people with the bat of an eye, so I guess I'm not surprised that she is able to do so for the King of Faeries as well. Wait a minute though. Did he just call me 'son'?

**Sookie**

The jolt of surprise coming from Eric comes unexpected.

"You do realize you just called my maker 'son', do you?" I laugh. "Oh silly old me! That would be odd, wouldn't it? It's just a figure of speech, anyway. Sookie, you are one of the few remaining familymembers I have left. Anyone that loves you, and is clearly willing to sacrifice so much for you, is good in my book. And the fact that you seem to love him back, only confirms that. So yes, I may call him 'son' again in the future, and although I do not want either of you to read too much into that, at the minimum you can take that as a sign of acceptance.

I don't want either of you to give me all the formal nonsense either. You can call me Niall, or grandfather if you like, but when it's just us, and especially when we're in your territory, I' m not 'your majesty', or 'sir'.

It had been a while since I last set foot on Earth, but now I finally have a good reason again. I will try and stop by more often if that is ok with you?"

I nod "I would like that, Niall, a lot. I feel we have a lot to talk about, and that you may have answers to a lot of questions I have." "Alright dear, that will be good, I think I can help you with that. You be careful now, you promise?"

When I wake from my rest the next day, I immediately know that I once again woke up far earlier than I'm supposed to. It has happened a few times before, but those times, it was just a few hours too early, and most times I was able to go back to resting after a bit of a stroll through the house. This time I can just tell that I'm really awake, and I can't help but wonder if this has anything to do with Niall and his light-trick. When I get to the kitchen, I can tell that it's a very sunny day outside. Man I'm going to miss sunbathing more than any other human activity.

And then I remember a rumor I once heard about a vampire who drank faery blood and was able to be out in the sunlight. Hmm… I wonder… No, Sookie, don't be such a silly cow, of course you can't go outside, you're a vampire now!

But the seed has been planted, and instead of very slowly pushing out, it quickly grows into a full blown flower.

"The fuck, Sook, how can you be calling me? It's like 1 pm, shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Jason, are you busy, is there any way you can come meet me at Eric's, I mean at our house in Shreveport? I'll tell you all about it later but I really need someone human and strong and trustworthy here as soon as possible."

"Uh, sure, let me talk to Andy real quick but it's quiet so I think it won't be a problem, sis."

A good hour later, he arrives, finally.

"Looking good, sis!" He kisses my cheek and hugs me tight. "So tell me how this is possible and what you needed me for this urgently.

I tell him about my irregular sleeping pattern, and about Niall and what he did with my light.

"And that's why I have reason to believe that I might be able to be out in the sun, Jason. But I can't try it with Eric there, and I don't wanna risk being alone. I need you here for safety in case I'm wrong. Can you do that for me?"

"You mean, rescue you in case you start burning? Of course!"

"Yeah, that. As soon as my skin starts to sizzle, pull me back inside. And Jason, if by some kind of miracle, I do not burn, you have to promise me that that stays between you and me. For now, and possibly for a long time. It's not a secret I would want people to know about."

"Fair enough, Sook. You wanna do this now?"

"Yes, just let me warm up some blood so that it's good to go in case I end up needing it."

Two minutes later, the microwave signals that the blood is warmed up. Jason walks with me to the frontdoor, and I hesitate for a minute. Am I really going to do this? Expose myself to what seemed a very painful process when I saw it happen to Bill? I decide that my longing to find out whether it's even possible is bigger than my fear for what will happen if it goes wrong, and pull open the front door.

**#Cliffhangergate2014!**

**Have a nice weekend, dear readers. I really have to be off, will continue this next week**


	11. Chapter 11

**So.. you know how sometimes you go in a certain direction and then can't go back and have to finish it? That's what this chapter is. Hope you enjoy it more than I did writing it, hahaha.**

**One little warning upfront: I'm about to mess with a known timeline, and basically am slightly restyling a known character to suit my own purpose.**

Chapter 11

Eric

When I awake because of an extreme feeling of fear and pain, I instantly am aware of 3 things; it's not even close to sunset yet, Sookie isn't next to me, and the reason for these emotions waking me from my day rest is her.

I rush to her and see Jason struggling to get her inside, because she's fighting him. He may be strong for a human, but compared to vampires he's just a pussy. I don't even think, and rush outside into the sun. It takes a good 3 seconds before my skin reacts, so I have to be fast. I pick Sookie up, yell at Jason to get inside and just as I feel my left ear has actually caught fire, I'm back inside and slam the door shut.

Jason clumsily reaches a bottle of blood at me but I shake my head. That's not going to help. She's badly burnt and even human blood will not be able to heal her sufficiently to erase the scarring. She will need my blood, and lots of it.

"Jason, I promise you the only time I would ever ask you to do this is to save your sister, but I need to drink your blood. Sookie has to get mine, and she'll need more of it than is good for my wellbeing. So I have to replenish." Jason scratches his head in doubt but quickly pulls himself together. "Yea, yeah of course you can."

As I sink my fangs into my own wrist I study her closely to take in the damage. It's bad, and I figure if I had gotten to her even just 30 seconds later it may have been too late. There are spots, where clearly the sun had been able to touch her more intensely, that really are just a thin film of skin, and if they were to break, it would be over. I bring my wrist to her mouth and instinctively she starts to drink. Because my blood is so old, it's very powerful and effective and after just a few chugs of it, those most delicate spots have already progressed enough for me to conclude she's out of the worst danger. As her healing process kicks off, she begins to suck on my wrist harder, and my blood is flowing out faster.

"It looks like we'll have to make this a chain, buddy. I can't pull back, but I do need to resupply too." Jason nods and offers me his wrist, and I sink my fangs in it. It's not the most ideal spot to be honest, but it'll have to do. In between chugs, I manage to mumble: "What on earth were you two thinking? We nearly lost her!"

"Well that's why she called me, bro, she knew she might need someone that could rescue her in case it went wrong. I told her to get back inside when I saw smoke coming off her but it was like the sun had cast a spell on her, she just wouldn't listen. When I tried to force her back inside she punched me so hard I saw stars, and even when she started to burn, which was when you found us, she was fighting me off. Dude, had I known she'd get like that, I'd have never agreed, that's for sure."

After a few minutes, I know we're done, transfusing blood. Sookie is beginning to heal fairly nicely, but it may take a while. I just hope she's not going to be left with scarring. I'm pissed off that she didn't wait and discuss this ridiculous plan with me, I would have talked her out of it. Even if she would have turned out to be able to walk in the sun, she keeps telling me she wants to be 'just normal', so why was she so eager to try this out.

Jason is looking pale, and I'm not so certain that's only because I drank over half his blood. "You know, I've never been a fan of you vampires. We was doing jus' fine when it was just us humans. But now my own sis is one of you. I know I gave you permission but I was sure she was gonna chose to end it herself once she woke up. And I was fine with that, you know. But then she went all kickass vampire in that warehouse and I saw her in a new light. She's still who she always was, but then a much stronger and more awesome version of it. So I can't lose her, Northman, I just can't. I'm not ready. So you better take real good care of her and make sure that nothing bad happens."

I give him a slightly amused look "Or what? You're gonna kick my ass? You really think you got a shot at that?"

Slightly embarrassed he quietly laughs "Yea I guess you're right. Consider it just a figure of speech, man."

"It's ok, Jason, I hear you. I hope you know how precious your sister is to me. I've walked this earth for a thousand years, but right now is the first time in over 600 of those that I truly feel alive. Sure, I've had my fun, and I've kept busy. I've made friends all over the world and we've enriched ourselves with knowledge and treasure. But it wasn't until I met Sookie that I realized I actually still had a heart, and was still able to love someone, and to care for that one special person. I would have stuck with her in her human form until she died of old age. But then all this happened, and like you, I never expected her to stay vampire, but she did." I pause for a minute as Sookie moans in pain. The healing process is clearly causing her discomfort.

"So anyways, I promise you, from man to man, that I will do my very best to keep her safe and protected. I'm proud to be her maker, and I'm honored to be her mate, and the thought of losing her is the only thing that frightens me."

Jason seems content with that, and offers me his hand. We shake on it. Man to man.

Sookie

Finally the pain begins to fade. It was so bad, I barely noticed them bringing me inside and it wasn't until Eric's blood started to heal me that I somewhat regained awareness of my surroundings. What was I thinking, doing this without Eric? I feel myself shaking, and something on my face feels wet.

Then Eric carefully caresses my face. "Sookie, sweetheart, it's ok, let it out. You're going to be fine, you just got really badly hurt but my blood is doing a stellar job at healing you." He rubs his thumbs below my eyes towards my ears. "Can you speak? Say something please, lover."

With a very weak voice I manage to tell him "I'm sorry, Eric". And then the tears change into all out sobbing. I try to bring my hands to my face but he holds them back. "Babe you have to keep still until you're sufficiently healed, if you want to avoid scarring." Oh lord, I can't have that. Imagine me all scarred, I wouldn't just be a monster; I'd also look like one! If only the sun would pull me back into my dayrest now, that would be so much easier.

I can sense Eric's concern for me and can even tell that it's not just about my physical appearance. I think of how much I love him, and how much I want to be with him for a very long time and he apparently picks up on this, as he takes my hand and squeezes it.

The next few hours are filled with small talk and Eric and Jason are both constantly checking my entire body for progress. By sunset, my body is entire healed, but I'm thirstier than I've ever been.

"Eric, at what time do we have to be at Fangtasia?" "We? I don't think you're going anywhere tonight. You need to take it easy. You may be healed physically but your body is exhausted. Actually I was about to call this agent that provides donors who make house calls, and I was going to order for one to be here every 3 hours until sunrise. I will have to go to the bar, but I don't want you there, not tonight. You need to take care of yourself, Sook. Vampires may be tough, but you can't take the risk of running into trouble when you're this depleted."

I'm disappointed, and a bit hurt, but I realize he's probably right. "Well, if that's the case, you better send me some vampire company, Eric, because you can't risk me being alone with them donors, and losing control. And if we learnt anything today it's that my dear, muscular and fit brother stands no chance against me."

Eric seems amused by that, cocks an eyebrow and dryly says: "You mean you need a babysitter? I'm sure your big sister would love to spend the night bonding with you."

Oh crap, me and my big mouth.

Eric

Pam was highly displeased with my decision to have her babysit Sookie, but honestly, I wouldn't trust anyone else to do it. Besides, with the two of them together, I will be able to tell from the bonds I have with them whether the emotion I get from one of them matches with the emotion from the other, and I'll know whether things are going ok without any doubt, that way. At the moment, both of them are sending me frustration and boredom, which is just perfect to me.

Fangtasia opens, and it's a fairly quiet evening because it's a football night, and for whatever reason, these Americans love that sport, and stop all other forms of social activities on the days it's being played by the pros. Personally, I feel it's overrated. Sports to me when I was human, was hunting a herd of moose, and hauling them back to our camp, and slaughter them right there. The only 'sport' I do enjoy watching at times is women's beach volleyball, for obvious reasons. I may have been bored with life until recently but I'll never tire of boobs.

At around 11.30 pm there's a knock on the door to my office. "Mr Northman, there's someone here to see you. Seems like an official call of some sorts." "Well in that case, send them through."

I'm slightly shocked to see it's Russell Edgington, the chancellor of the Authority.

"Mr Northman, I'm glad to see you're back in business. I hear you've had quite the eventful week?"

I find myself instantly annoyed by his adopted, fake southern accent. It's so over the top dramatic!

"You know how it is, becoming a master to someone can be a little demanding, but she seems to settle in quite nicely."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now tell me, this new progeny of yours, she used to be quite special as a human, am I right? If I recall correctly, she was able to read minds?" "As a human, yes she used to be a telepath. But she's just our average vampire now. A little tamer and more disciplined than most baby vamps, but without any extra skills."

"I have to be honest with you, Northman. It surprises me that such an exquisite human would choose to sacrifice a fantastic ability such as telepathy, only to have eternal true love with a vampire. You were mates before last week, yes?"

What's with the obsession?

"Yes we were, and we still are. And Sookie did not get turned by choice. She was viciously assaulted by a human, and by the time I got to her, she was already too weakened. I decided to turn her before it was too late, and to leave the choice of leading a vampire existence with her. Too my surprise, and to her own as well, she took up our lifestyle without any hiccups, and seems to have chosen to stay with us."

"Hah! Well I can't wait to meet her, Northman. Is she not anywhere near?" "No, she's having a girls night with my other progeny. You know, sister to sister bonding, doing nails and hair and other girly stuff."

"What a shame. I guess the first time I'll see her will be at the ball, then." Wait, the ball? What ball? I look puzzled and surprised. "That's what I came here for, silly!" he hands me an official looking envelope, "Her majesty the Queen cordially invites you and your children to attend the 1343st Annual Vampire ball. A tradition held up over the centuries, and this year it was the Queen of Louisiana's turn to host it, and she personally insisted on inviting your little family."

Of course! I knew that this was supposed to be coming up, but thought it wouldn't be for another few months. Those balls are huge gatherings with vampires from all over the world attending. A lot of political bullshit goes on there, with each and every vampire acting nice and cordially. Emphasis on the word 'acting'.

Oh well, it's a nice occasion to send my girls shopping and telling them to go all out. Even if Sookie has any doubt, Pam will 'kindly' help her getting over that.

Russell's business being done, he makes his way to the exit. Before leaving he says "By the way, you should be approached by the executer of Bill Compton's estate. It appears you and your progeny both were named in his will." I nod at him in acknowledgement and wave him my goodbye. Good riddance, I do not trust the rat at all. We'll have to tread very carefully around this, making sure Sookies abilities are not revealed.

The rest of the evening is quite uneventful, and I am able to go home at 3.30am, half an hour after closing. I haven't felt any extremes through my bonds with my children, and when I get to my place, this is confirmed; they are both slouched on the sofa, watching some really bad vampire movie from the 1970s, and are laughing hysterically. I'm slightly, but also pleasantly surprised that Pam even seems to enjoy it. I love that she's snarky but I love it even more when I see her enjoy herself

"Hi baby, come sit with us!" Sookie giggles. I'm not really in the mood for movies, but I do like the way my home really seems like a home when I walk in to this, so I figure I'll just enjoy the vibe. Oh I can see why they are laughing so hard; these kinds of movies are so far removed from the truth, that to a real vampire, they are like watching a comedy. The clothing is so dramatic, the fangs are always terribly done and of course the acting itself is usually the worst.

I nestle in between the two of them and Sookie instantly leans against me. "How are you feeling, lover? Were the donors to your liking?" "I'm ok, baby. I was a good girl and drank just enough from each of the donors, and Pam didn't have to force me off or anything. There should be one more here in about an hour for now and that's the last one before sunrise. Hopefully I get a good day's rest this time around, and then tomorrow I'll be good to go."

We finish watching the movie, and Pam decides that's her time to head home. I gave up on trying to offer her a place to stay about 5 decades ago, that woman is just too fond of her own space. Right as she takes off, the final donor for the night shows up; a drop dead gorgeous brunette who smells ridiculously enticing. I've ordered these donors from a special service, and they are known to accept additional pay for additional service, so as I guide her to the livingroom to bring her to Sookie, I offer her double pay if she allows us both to drink from her. She's more than happy to accept that deal, and to mine, and Sookie's surprise, she says: "I can have one of you on my neck, and the other one can drink from my thigh."

Drinking from the thigh is very effective, but also very intimate and not usually allowed by professional donors, and for a second I wonder why this one is different. Sookie picks up on my doubt and gives me a sly smile. Inaudibly to the human ear she whispers at me "she's doing this so she'll be worked up when she heads home to her husband, and she's planning to have hot steamy marital sex." Smart donor, making the most of a profitable situation.

I gently pull her hair to one side, caress her cheek and sink my fangs into her artery. Simultaneously, Sookie does so into the woman's left thigh. This woman's blood is as exquisite as she is physically. It's full, and a bit thicker than usual, and has a wonderful hint of spice to it. I drink her as if she were a fine wine. Slowly, taking in the flavor, and enjoying the moment. I look down and see that Sookie also is doing the same. She must be satiated after all those feeds, and this one is just a late night snack.

"Oh my, you two sure now how to treat a lady" the donor says, slightly moaning. Sookie's eyes find mine and they tell me she's as aroused as the donor is. Seeing her so close to this woman's crotch turns me on to and I take a step back so my boner doesn't press against the back of this precious female.

In a short moment of clarity I pull back my fangs, and lick the wound in her neck so it heals nicely, the woman whimpering as I do it. I gently tell Sookie that it's time for her to let go too, and she obeys reluctantly. Sookie cleans herself up a bit, and then tenderly kisses the woman's cheek to thank her, and then she shows her out.

Finally it's just the two of us, and I wrap my arms around Sookie and kiss her long and slowly, before picking her up and carrying her to our bedroom. I slowly undress her, and then myself, and we spend the rest of the night making intense love.

**A/N Alright, so this was a bit of closure for me. From the start I somehow thought she had to be a daywalker but the closer I got to revealing it, the more I didn't like the idea at all. So she had to burn. Eric will not always remain as forgiving to her, by the way. And the Russell Edgington bit: He's member of the authority now, but the Queen of Louisiana is still alive. That's different from how the series happened but it's my fic so I can do what I want! **


	12. author update

Just a little update: I haven't bailed on you guys but was diagnosed with a medical thing last week and am not able to spend a lot of time at the computer as a result. I hope to be back on my feet and computer soon enough though.


	13. Chapter 13

**Bit by bit getting back on my feet, thanks for your well wishes after my previous post!**

**Chapter 13**

**Eric**

Over the course of the next 2 weeks, Sookie seems to settle in to her vampire life more and more every day. After her sunbathing adventure, she seems to be determined to make the very best of her second chance at life, and her first real decision was that she would not join the Fangtasia team just yet. In the past few days she's been meeting with contractors who are working on plans to renovate her gran's farmhouse.

"I'm going to give the place to Jason, babe, but I don't want him to have the financial burden of these renovations. I hope you don't mind me using the card you gave me for this for now." "I don't mind at all, Sookie dear, that's exactly why I gave it to you. I didn't put such a limit on it just because I was hoping you'd buy some toiletries with it. The money is yours to spend as you wish; the only thing I ask of you is that you give me a little heads up after you've spent more than a hundred thousand dollars." "Oh baby, I was thinking that the renovations would cost about 15 grand so nowhere near the limit. You have nothing to worry about!" Her modesty is cute, but unnecessary. I feel I owe Jason more than I can ever make up to him, and I encourage her into making bolder plans.

"Lover, if it weren't for Jason, we would have lost you that night. I think we should go for some more extensive work on the house, and make sure he can live there in all the comfort we can provide him with." After a bit of a discussion, and some more convincing from my side, she finally agrees.

And so far, she's surprised me with her decisions. Apart from some structural renovations, and an extension to the living room that have already been agreed upon, she's decided to redecorate the entire house, and to replace all the electrical appliances in it. Whenever I have a free moment, she's either buried under a stack of folders, or fervently browsing the web. Pam makes fun of her when she hears what Sookie is working on. "Why the fuck doesn't she just hire someone to do this shit for her? I mean, she won't even live there herself!" But I get it. Jason's her brother and she wants only the best for him, and needs to oversee it all to ensure it's perfect in the end.

"I think I found the perfect kitchen for him, Eric; All stainless steel appliances and a black granite countertop over cherry wood cupboards. The stove will be glass on gas for easy cleaning. But babe I think he won't be using that kitchen much as I've decided to also set up an outdoor kitchen for him. I ordered this monster grill, that can not only grill; it's pretty much a fully functional kitchen all in one machine. And for the living room… I'm gonna turn it into the most epic kind of mancave for him, already have some ideas for it but I don't wanna tell you all of it yet, I just want you to see it once it's done."

She really is enjoying this, and it seems she's making smart, well thought out choices. It's great to see her so passionately diving in to this, but I feel I need to remind her of that other big thing to work on.

"Have you scheduled your shopping trip with Pam yet, for the ball?"

"Actually, we've been looking for dresses twice already but I haven't really found THE dress yet. I'm beginning to wonder if I shouldn't have had something tailor made for me. But I guess it's too late for that now, we only have 3 more weeks."

"ERIC!" She suddenly yells as she jumps up. "Let's take a roadtrip! We've both been superbusy and we've not had much time together. So how about this weekend, we head over to, oh I don't know.. New York, or maybe San Francisco or something like that, and just have a little getaway. We can visit some shops while we're there, too, and find you a new tux while we're there, and the perfect dress for myself. But mostly, we'll just have a little time to ourselves before we dive head first into the madness that is the Queen's ball!"

I laugh "Who are you, and what have you done to my Sookie?" I feel her get disappointed, so I quickly add: "I love it, lover, let's do this! I guess I just have to get used to the new you at some moments too. But yes, I think San Francisco sounds wonderful, I haven't been there since the 1930s."

And so, 3 days later we board a private jet and fly to San Francisco. I've managed to book us an awesome suite at The Fairmont, which has a 180-degree view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, the East Bay, Downtown San Fran, and Twin Peaks. These hotels must have been very well aware of the fact that vampires had a lot of money to spend, because they were the first to ensure they offered light tight, super luxurious accommodations. The room came with a complementary donor service, so we won't have to go out of our way to feed if needed either. I myself can sustain quite a bit of time without blood by now, but Sookie still needs to feed daily, and still can't always control her bloodlust, although she's so strong willed that she hasn't had any 'accidents' yet.

While Sookie gawks at everything our suite has to offer, I decide to fill the huge bathtub. It'll take a while before it's ready. "My goodness, Eric, come look!" She's staring outside.I wrap my arms around her and bury my face in her neck. "That, my love, is Aurora Borealis." "Aurora Bo… what?" "It's the northern lights, babe. They haven't really figured out what they are exactly, but it's to do with particles, solar winds, and electromagnetic fields. The further north you go, the more you'll see them, and the more intense and colorful they become. What we see right now, isn't even visible to the human eye, we only see it because of our vampire vision. It's spectacular though, isn't it?" "Oh absolutely! I can look at this all night, it really is as if the sky is alive." "Hmmm but lover, we didn't come all the way out here to just sit and stare outside." She mopes for a second, but then remembers we have a big bath of nice hot bubbly water waiting for us. We both sink down into the water and inhale the aromas coming from the soap. It smells of pineforest, and as I close my eyes, I feel myself relax. Through our bond I feel it has the same effect on Sookie. I pull her towards me and as she sits between my legs, she leans back, and we just sit there, enjoying the relaxed feeling and eachother's calming company.

I gently wash her body and her hair, and once I'm done, she does the same to me. The tenderness with which she does that, tells me she's very much at ease; with me, but also with herself. I can't help myself, I constantly worry about her having a setback, but it's becoming clear to me that there really is nothing to worry about.

As she massages my scalp while washing my hair, she springs an idea on me. "Babe I was thinking… when we go to the ball, we'll be gone for a few days, right? And with all those vampires being in town, it may be hard to find the right donor when I want it." "Actually lover, that's usually not a problem. Because of my status in the vampire world, I have certain rights and can arrange for anything we desire." "Shhh hear me out", she whispers in my ear "I was thinking, maybe we could ask for that donor, you know, the one we fed on last that night after I had the run in with the sun, to come along with us for the weekend. Her blood was fantastic, and she seems like the kind of person that could carry herself well in a situation like that."

The mere thought of what I saw that night; Sookie's mouth so close to that woman's private parts, and the scent of the woman's arousal, gives me an instant hard on. Even though it's under water, Sookie seems to notice, because she chuckles "I'll take that as a 'That's a brilliant idea, lover, let's make it work!' then."

And it is, in fact, a brilliant idea. Not only because of the woman's exquisite blood, but also because it would mean we have a reliable donor, who is under our control, and not in any way provided by that dirtbag Edgington or any of the other snakes that work closely with the Queen.

Suddenly I want to rush things along, so I sink down under water and quickly rinse my hair out properly. When I resurface, I lift Sookie out the tub and carry her to the master suite. We're both still dripping with water but I don't care, I need her so badly right now.

Sookie

Eric spends the rest of the night making love to me. Hot steamy love first, tender love next. I believe dining room table love was in between corridor love, and love from behind while looking at aurora borealis. One could safely say he showed me every corner of our suite, and not be telling a lie.

I love how we don't get exhausted. Spent, yes, but we recuperate within a few minutes and then are good to go again. I loved sex as a human, and the heightened senses that come with being a vampire have made it even so much more enjoyable. Before we settle down for the day, I giggle: "So we went all the way to San Francisco to spend the evening making love huh." "Lover, I would take you to the moon for that if you wanted to. But don't you worry, we have a busy schedule for this evening, so get your rest." We kiss and cuddle for a while and then at some point, the sun pulls us both under.

When I wake up that evening, it's already dark and I'm proud to have slept through the day. Eric woke up before me and is just finishing a phone call when I walk into the living room. "Well, good evening to you, lover. You seem to have had a good rest." "Yea, I think it's the ocean air or something, but I feel really rested and good to go." "Ok, why don't you get dressed then… our breakfast will be coming up in about 15 minutes."

We'll be shopping for expensive clothing today so I figure I'd be best off wearing something that's easy to take off and put back on. I settle for one of the dresses we bought on that first shopping spree we did after turning. It's simple, yet elegant, and tells whoever will see us that I won't be looking for a cheap Barbiedoll-style prom dress. I do up my hair in a Grace Kelly roll. It's a sturdy, but also elegant look, and has as a main benefit that it bares my neck, so Eric will have a hard time all day controlling himself around me. Yes, I'm evil that way!

Just as I finish getting ready, the donors arrive. When I get to the living room, Eric has already started feeding, and after a minute or two of small talk with my donor, I tuck in too. There's nothing enjoyable about feeding this way. It's formal and functional, and that's it. I really prefer my donors to be a bit more lively than these walking blood bags. Might as well go to a blood bank and get blood from bags if it's like this all the time.

We finish in a matter of minutes, and I suggest to Eric we get going. We end up going to a very cute boutique where they sell all sorts of high end fashion, for both males and females. Eric explains to the man that's helping us that we have a big formal event coming up and that we need a tux for him, and a dress for me. I get swooped away by a small army of female assistants, while this old Chinese man begins taking Eric's measurements.

When asked what I'm looking for, I tell the ladies: "Well, we have this very formal ball, and it's my first official occasion since becoming a vampire. I'm not new to their world, a lot of them either know me, or had heard of me already, but since this is sort of like my coming out in my new life, I need to look breathtakingly stunning. It can't be too pompous, has to be flowy and soft, shouldn't be too covered up but can't be trashy or slutty either. As for the color, I'm a bit in doubt. Perhaps soft, gentle colors to emphasize my femininity or maybe bold, fierce colors to show my strength of character."

Eric, clearly listening to everything we talk about, yells from the other side of the boutique. "Lover, go for soft and sweet colors. It's better to let them have the idea that you're just a cute and girly baby vamp." I guess he has a point. Besides, I can't have them feeling threatened by me. Our little group already has Pam who scares the hell out of most people and vamps, maybe it's smarter to let them think of me as the approachable one.

"Alright, pastel colors or peach, or even light to midlight pink, ladies. Do you have anything like that?"

They were clearly waiting for my signal, and now, off they go, like worker ants, scanning through the gowns they have in stock, and also through catalogues and look-books. All, except for one of them, that is. The oldest of the women stands staring at a rack of clothes but is clearly just pretending to be active. I decide to pry a little and open my mind to her.

"_Don't be silly, you can't be so bold. I mean, yes, the dress would be perfect for her but why would she want something made by some silly cow that failed to ever really make it as a fashion designer? Oh man, she would look so pretty in it, she's exactly the type of woman I pictured in the dress when I designed it."_

Now she's piqued my interest. I always have a bit of a soft spot for underdogs, and I kind of would like to see her design. "You know, it doesn't have to be a dress by a big time hot shot designer" I say.

I casually stroll towards the woman and, making sure nobody else spots me, I quickly glamour her. "I will try on a bunch of dresses, but in about 20 minutes from now, you will no longer be so insecure about your talents, and will feel brave enough to propose to let me try your design."

And so it happens. I pretend to be open to any of the suggestions the other women make but I have this gut feeling about that woman's design. After dismissing yet another far too ordinary pastel yellow dress, I exclaim "Well, I think this isn't going too well. All these big name designers, and not a single viable option so far. Don't you ladies know about anyone, even someone unfamiliar, that designs better stuff than this, but just hasn't had a lucky break?"

It remains silent for a minute but then, this lady finally speaks up: "You know, I've been working on something myself which would be perfect for you. It's really a personal and unique design, and technically it's not for sale in this boutique, but I'm sure if you would be willing to try it on, we could arrange for something, and for the boutique to get a cut."

"You seem very confident about me liking what you have to offer, ma'am."  
"Well yes, that's because I'm convinced that this dress is perfect for you. I can send for it and have it here in no time, if you'd be willing to wait for.. maybe 15 minutes?"

She calls home and tells her husband where to find the dress she is talking about, and as she promised, 15 minutes later, he shows up.

When she zips open the bag in which it was packed, she shares a bit of background info. "This is a very special, unique gown made of silk charmeuse" she tells me. "A few weeks ago, I had a dream in which I saw it. I never saw the face of the model but her body was very much like yours."

She guides me to the dressing room and helps me put it on. I haven't even seen my own image but I instantly feel like a princess. The dress fits like a glove. The top is strapless and the frontside covers my boobs entirely. The backside is a true work of art. It's cut out very low, to just above my butt, but then it's lined with the most gorgeous bits of lace. Below the waist the dress is as I already said I wanted. It's flowy and elegant, not even close to pompous. It has a hint of a train but nothing that would become a bother.

Wearing this dress is like what I imagine it would be like to walk around in one of those perfectly white, fluffy clouds you get in spring. I feel dreamy and gorgeous in it, and that's even without wearing any shoes.

When I look back at the woman, I see she has tears in her eyes. "Oh honey, there's no need to cry, I think you did a fantastic job, and you're incredibly talented! How about we ask my companion to come check me out, and see his reaction?" She sniffs her tears away and takes a deep breath. "Yes, of course. Sorry for that. It's just magical when things all line up perfectly and become one, isn't it?" I couldn't agree more.

I can tell that Eric is very curious, and when she tells him to come with her, I hide myself in the changing room. "Are you ready, Eric?" "Mmmhmmh, show me what you're wearing, lover."

As I walk out of the changing room I feel his excitement changing into warm, fuzzy feelings, and when I finally look up at him, his eyes radiate the same. When I turn around to show him the back side of the dress, he quietly mutters just one word:

"Perfection".

Eric

In this moment, I only see Sookie, and nobody else around us matters. After a minute or so, I finally look at the woman who designed the dress and see that she's almost as moved by the picture of Sookie in that dress as I am. We'll have to make this worth her while!

"Sookie, you are breathtakingly beautiful in that dress. I love it as much as you seem to." Her beaming smile says enough.

"I guess we're done looking for a dress for Miss Stackhouse then, we'll take it."

"Oh dear, me and my big mouth", the designer says. "I haven't even thought beyond wanting to see this dress on you, Sookie. I have no idea what to ask for the dress, and I sort of need to pass this by my boss first, too."

Ah-hah, finally something I can fix. "I would like to talk to your employer myself, if you don't mind. I'm sure I can make it worth his while to allow you to sell this dress to us."

"He's at the other store, but we can call him. Follow me into our office if you please?"

"What's your boss's name, dear?" "Oh… it's Henri.. Henri Dubois. "

We get the man on speaker. "Mister Dubois, this is Eric Northman speaking. Me and my companion found your boutique today and were looking for the perfect outfits for a very special occasion. Unfortunately, at first, my companion had some difficulties finding the perfect gown for this ball, but your employee, miss… " I look at her questioningly. "It's Mary, sir, Mary Jones" "Miss Jones here, told us she had the perfect dress for my companion. The only downside was that it's not actually a dress for sale in your store. Now, we did try the dress on, and let me tell you, you are wasting this woman's talent by letting her find other people's clothing in your shop. She has designed a stunning gown, and my companion looks absolutely breathtaking in it. Ms Jones here is a little worried about being out of bounds, but surely we can find a way to make it so that Ms Jones can be awarded for her talent, right?"

"I admit, it's very bold of my employee to try and sell her own designs here, but at the same time, I encourage my staff to think outside the box."

"So am I right in thinking that there's no reason we shouldn't be able to work something out, sir? Say, we pay miss Jones for her work, and leave an additional 5% for your boutique?"

"My usual margin is at 13%, sir. I think 5% is a bit feeble for such a majestic purchase."

Hah, it seems this man is a bit too greedy for his own good. I guess we'll have to set him straight then.

"Miss Jones, what price do you even have in mind for your design?" I ask her.

"Oh goodness, I haven't even thought of that.. the fabric and the hours I invested in it… Would I be out of bounds to ask for 450 dollars for it, sir?" she says, very modestly. This poor woman is so talented and doesn't even realize that her talent is worth a lot more than that amount.

I look at Sookie, who's a bit shocked that the gown would cost so little and subtly signal at her to open her mind to me.

Lover, I think this woman's boss doesn't need to know how much we're really going to pay her. I'm going to agree to this price and raise his cut to 10%. We will make sure that we can meet Ms Jones outside this boutique, and do her justice then, ok?

Of course Sookie gives me a relieved nod.

"Honestly miss Jones, we are willing to offer you more than that. You've not only invested in the fabric, and a lot of your personal time, but you're also selling us a dream. We think 675 dollar is more than reasonable. And mister Dubois, seen as you have had to do nothing for your cut except for having this phonecall, and we're also buying a high end tux from you at the same time, I think a 10% cut for you on the gown is more than reasonable, wouldn't you think?". Of course, Dubois agrees to that without hesitation. "Pleasure doing business with you, sir. And if I may make a suggestion, please make sure miss Jones gets the opportunity to work with her talent more. I do think you'd be pleasantly surprised."

Miss Jones is in shock. I'm afraid we'll have to do some more glamouring when we next see her so she doesn't freak out entirely.

Sookie hugs her warmly and thanks her again for the dress, and they remain chatting for a while longer while my guy finishes marking off the areas of this tux that will have to be slightly adjusted for a perfect fit.

"Is there any way we can convince you to make the adjustments to the tux at very short notice? We're only in town until Monday, and would really like to take both outfits with us when we head back to Louisiana." Miss Jones takes in the areas that were marked off and reflects for a minute.

"Yes, I think we can do that, sir. Actually, I will make sure that we do, and will personally deliver your purchases to wherever you're staying." Sookie smiles at her and excitedly proposes "I will be shopping for shoes tonight too, so when you come to the Fairmont, that's where we're staying, I would love to show you those too, so you have a better idea of the final image." "I would love that very much, ma'am."

I hand her my creditcard and Sookie leaves her a note with the address of our hotel, and our suite number.

"Alright then. I will be with you tomorrow evening at 8 pm. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and miss Stackhouse.. thanks again for being open to my idea. You have no idea how rewarding it is to see someone shine in something I designed and fabricated."

After another hug from Sookie, and a handshake from myself, she holds the door for us and we leave. As soon as we cross the street, Sookie bursts out in laughter. "I never thought I'd see the day.. Eric Northman, insisting on paying someone MORE than they ask." I look at her in faux shock. "Are you suggesting I'm usually stingy and greedy?" This makes her laugh even harder but then she manages to give a somewhat serious reply. "Actually, no you're not, to people you are close to. But to strangers, you're usually very formal and all business like, and you wouldn't usually pay more than is absolutely needed." "Well, I guess those 675 dollars were absolutely needed, then, lover", I reply as I wrap my arm around her shoulder and kiss the top of her head. "Now, how about we go find you some heels, quickly, and then move on to stuff that's a little bit more fun?"

Sookie

Yeah, I'm up for fun. We find the closest shoe store, where finding the right shoe is no big deal. I try on a pair of simple but lovely Manolos, they fit perfectly and will combine just fine with my gown. We ask to have the shoes delivered to the hotel as well, and after paying, Eric leads me back outside and into the closest, somewhat empty alleyway.

"Lover, I know you can do it yourself, but I want to fly us somewhere, would you please allow me to carry you?" Hmm I wonder what he's up to, but I'm feeling adventurous so I say "Piggyback ride, or will you hold me?" Before I know it, he's scooped me up and we're high up in the sky above San Francisco. It's an amazing experience: the city is still buzzing with noises, and traffic and lights, there's lights everywhere. Eric points out our hotel, and then flies us towards the port and then straight across the water, right over the Golden Gate bridge. Finally he lands us right by what looks to be a yacht, and kisses me tenderly on the lips. "I figured we could do with some cheesy romance, so I have a special boattrip planned for us. Come with me, please."

We walk straight onto the docks where a man guides us to one of the larger, more luxurious boats, and leads us onto the deck, which is lit up by hundreds of tiny little lamps.

"Welcome on board. I will be your captain this evening. Everything you asked for is on board, sir. I will be in the steering hut, and won't come out until we're back in the harbor, or if you call for my help. Have a very enjoyable evening." He slightly bows, then heads to his hut.

Once we've been out onto the water for about 20 minutes, I lean against the railing and take in the view of the San Francisco bay. It's nothing short of spectacular.

"Do you hear that, lover? You can even hear the laughter from people resonating out over the water." "Is that what is it? That's.. just amazing. It's so loud though, I think even the human ear can detect that." "You're right. It was one of the reasons Alcatraz was such a horrible prison. There weren't really any other noises apart from seagulls flying around all day, but at night, if the wind was right, and the prisoners would all be locked in for the night, they would hear music and laughter in the distance." "I like the thought of that. If I recall correctly, they would send the really notorious bad guys there, right?"

"Yep. The currents in this water are pretty extreme, so even if someone managed to break out, chances were close to non-existent that they would make it to land alive. About a year before they closed the prison down, 3 guys did manage to escape, they made an inflatable raft from raincoats. Nobody ever found their bodies, or heard from them again. Nobody human, that is." Eric chuckles when he tells me that last bit. "You mean….?" "Yes, they made it to land alright but bumped straight into a few vampires who took them to their nest and used them for dinner for a few weeks. They ended up being turned, but two of them, they were brothers, were so violent and at the same time stupid, that they got themselves killed in a conflict with some older vampires. The third guy, Frank Morris, settled into his vampire existence, and made sure his living relatives were well cared for before moving to Europe. Last I heard, he lives quite a secluded life in the Italian Riviera now."

Huh, who'd have guessed? I love hearing these stories, they make me wonder what other human mysteries can be solved if the vampires would fess up. On the other hand, it's a nice idea to know that what happens among vampires, stays among vampires. For the most part, at least.

We spend the next 3 hours just lounging on deck, enjoying the view of the harbor, taking in the sounds and the scents of this wonderfully eclectic city in all the privacy we need. Just as the boat seems to have turned around, the captain comes out of his hut and tells us "If you want to see something really spectacular, go stand at the bow and wait for me to gain speed."

Once he does, suddenly a few dolphins show up, swimming along, riding the waves and over the next few minutes, a few turn into a herd of about 60 dolphins, all accompanying us across the bay. It's magical, and I look at the spectacle completely mesmerized. Eric standing behind me, his arms firmly wrapped around me, and he's equally enchanted. "I have to say, I've seen some amazing natural phenomena throughout the centuries, but this, considering the setting and company I'm in, is one of the more memorable ones."

As we get closer to the harbor, the dolphins suddenly all leap up and give us an aray of summersaults farewell before going their own way. When they are out of sight, I turn around in Eric's arms and kiss him. "Thank you, Eric, you really know how to make a girl feel special. This was just the perfect boat trip. I love you." To my surprise, I feel a little leap in his emotions. "I love you too, Sookie Stackhouse. I may have shown you that I do, but until now, I don't think I ever told you that in words. It's been hard for me to do that, after not saying it for so many years to anyone. But I do love you and I can't imagine my life without you." He's barely finished talking when he crashes his lips on mine for an intensely passionate kiss, one of those that make you lose track of time, and make you unaware of your surroundings. It isn't until I feel a raindrop on my face that I slowly push him away, only to instantly notice that it's not raining at all… he's crying and what I felt was one of his tears landing on my face.

"Oh baby, why are you crying?"

Suddenly he breaks, and sobs for a minute without being able to utter a word. I just hold him and comfort him until he calms down a bit.

"I really thought I wouldn't have this anymore. You know, real love. I didn't even think I deserved to have it after all the rotten stuff I've done. Even though deep in my heart I guess I already loved you months ago, we had had such a rocky road that I didn't allow myself to really allow the feeling in. But Sookie, in all of my existence, I don't think I've loved anyone as deeply and intensely as I love you. Promise me you'll stay with me."

"Of course I'll stay with you, Eric. I love you too, and I don't want you to ever doubt that. I'm not planning on going anywhere. You've got me, don't you worry about that."

I gently wipe his face clean, and then comfort him with the most tender, loving kiss. "Now, why don't we get off this boat and get back to our suite, so I can show you how much you got me?"

His boyish smile in response to that tells me he thinks that that is a wonderful idea.

**A/N:**

**Although there are plenty of hints towards it, I've managed to stay away from real smut. Somehow it's hard (pun not intended!) to not just have them humping eachother all day every day. I mean, I would, if I were her :P**

**I'm also finding it hard to come up with a plot that will allow Eric to get back to his icecold businessy badass self without putting Sookie at risk (she's been through enough for a while, in my opinion!), but I'm sure I'll find something as I go. Either way, in preparation of that, I felt it was necessary for him to really voice his feelings for her, and for Sookie to also get that reinsurance.**

**Next chapter: their last day in San Fran, and then we'll move on to the Queen's ball. I'm scared to get there but hoping I'll manage to come up with something fun for you all!**


End file.
